Meanings
adjectiveseat-of-the-pants (not comparable)
- USidiomaticnot comparableDone by feel, guess, or trial and error rather than by careful planning, thought or technique.
The new pension-fund managers are an eclectic group, displaying a spectrum of styles and strategies. Some rely chiefly on computers and charts, while others are more likely to trust their seat-of-the-pants judgment.
1984 January 9, Charles Alexander, Frederick Ungeheuer, “The Billion-Dollar Boys”, in Time
Origin
Cite this entry
APA
seat-of-the-pants. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seat-of-the-pants
MLA
“seat-of-the-pants.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seat-of-the-pants. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “seat-of-the-pants,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seat-of-the-pants.
Source: seat-of-the-pants on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.