seat-of-the-pants
adjective
: employing or based on personal experience, judgment, and effort rather than technological aids or formal theory
seat-of-the-pants navigation
a seat-of-the-pants decision
Examples of seat-of-the-pants in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The first few weeks of the pandemic spurred more seat-of-the-pants innovation to broadcast operations and engineering than had been done since the days of Sid Caesar and Milton Berle in the early 1950s.
—
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
Buffett’s endorsement of Apple was always seat-of-the-pants.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2024
Chapman remembers his own experiences starting Everfi as being characterized by some seat-of-the-pants moments.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 12 May 2024
And now, in its new 4K glory, this scrappy seat-of-the-pants gem is alive with gorgeous ghosts, among them a number of performers who would never again appear onscreen.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2024
As Andy Greene’s oral history makes clear, the classic result belies the seat-of-the-pants execution.
—Longreads, 4 Aug. 2023
Ready or not, that’s what Lagos and the Band on the Run sessions were about to give him, his wife and Laine — one dramatic complication after another, threatening to undermine an endeavor that was more shambolic and seat-of-the-pants than the average McCartney fan realized back in the ‘70s.
—Andy Meek, Billboard, 2 May 2023
In the predigital age, that often meant seat-of-the-pants improvising.
—Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
Buffett’s endorsement of Apple was always seat-of-the-pants.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2024
Chapman remembers his own experiences starting Everfi as being characterized by some seat-of-the-pants moments.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 12 May 2024
And now, in its new 4K glory, this scrappy seat-of-the-pants gem is alive with gorgeous ghosts, among them a number of performers who would never again appear onscreen.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2024
As Andy Greene’s oral history makes clear, the classic result belies the seat-of-the-pants execution.
—Longreads, 4 Aug. 2023
Ready or not, that’s what Lagos and the Band on the Run sessions were about to give him, his wife and Laine — one dramatic complication after another, threatening to undermine an endeavor that was more shambolic and seat-of-the-pants than the average McCartney fan realized back in the ‘70s.
—Andy Meek, Billboard, 2 May 2023
In the predigital age, that often meant seat-of-the-pants improvising.
—Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Seat-of-the-pants.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seat-of-the-pants. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share