extrapolate
to infer (an unknown) from something that is known; conjecture.
Statistics. to estimate (the value of a variable) outside the tabulated or observed range.
Mathematics. to estimate (a function that is known over a range of values of its independent variable) to values outside the known range.
to perform extrapolation.
Origin of extrapolate
1Other words from extrapolate
- ex·trap·o·la·tion, noun
- ex·trap·o·la·tive, ex·trap·o·la·to·ry [ik-strap-uh-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], /ɪkˈstræp ə ləˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjective
- ex·trap·o·la·tor, noun
- o·ver·ex·trap·o·la·tion, noun
Words that may be confused with extrapolate
- deduction, extrapolation , induction, generalization, hypothesis
Words Nearby extrapolate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use extrapolate in a sentence
“We’re taking a sample and using it to extrapolate to something larger,” said microbiologist Marc Johnson of the University of Missouri.
A New Kind of College Exam: UCSD Is Testing Sewage for COVID-19 | Randy Dotinga | September 7, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoCraftily extrapolating from current events, Davies creates a fascinating future that serves as a vibrant backdrop for the compelling family saga.
FROM THE VAULTS: The opposite of binge-watching | Brian T. Carney | September 4, 2020 | Washington BladeFrom this we can extrapolate – unless there’s dramatic improvement in the economy – that holiday shoppers will be more selective and value conscious than last year.
A Corona Xmas: Why physical stores will power online shopping this holiday season | Greg Sterling | September 4, 2020 | Search Engine LandIn extrapolating their performance this season, the A’s could challenge their 2018 mark.
The A’s Aren’t Just Scrappy. They’ve Got Stars. | Travis Sawchik | August 13, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightResearchers can extrapolate from there what is happening in the rest of the state or country.
Millions of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. may have gone undiagnosed in March | Tina Hesman Saey | June 25, 2020 | Science News
The study used data collected from 11 states to extrapolate rates for the US as a whole.
Rise in Autism Diagnoses Doesn't Surprise Doctors | Russell Saunders | March 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWe can use evidence from the present to extrapolate about the past.
The Bill Nye-Ken Ham Debate Was a Nightmare for Science | Michael Schulson | February 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA sound pension should plan for the time on the bottom, not extrapolate from the moment on top.
Sorry, Folks: One Way or the Other, You'll Never Be Able to Completely Count on Retirement | Megan McArdle | March 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut we can extrapolate from previous experience that decapitation does incentivize Hamas to ease up on its attacks.
“Voters extrapolate a lot from the process of your campaign,” Lehane says.
Romney ‘Victims’ Video Digs Hole for Campaign Damaged by Infighting | Howard Kurtz | September 18, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThe scientists had worked late, trying to extrapolate their data into some kind of prediction.
The Flaming Mountain | Harold Leland GoodwinJamison began to extrapolate from his observations out the control-room port, adding film-clips for authority.
Operation: Outer Space | William Fitzgerald JenkinsHe saw his shortcoming, but could not do anything to help it: he was unable to extrapolate ahead.
Starman's Quest | Robert SilverbergYou doubt it will be Hoskins, because you can't extrapolate how he might break—or even if he would.
Breaking Point | James E. GunnCochrane cocked an eye at Jamison, who could extrapolate at the drop of an equation.
Operation: Outer Space | William Fitzgerald Jenkins
British Dictionary definitions for extrapolate
/ (ɪkˈstræpəˌleɪt) /
maths to estimate (a value of a function or measurement) beyond the values already known, by the extension of a curve: Compare interpolate (def. 4)
to infer (something not known) by using but not strictly deducing from the known facts
Origin of extrapolate
1Derived forms of extrapolate
- extrapolation, noun
- extrapolative or extrapolatory, adjective
- extrapolator, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for extrapolate
[ ĭk-străp′ə-lāt′ ]
To estimate the value of a quantity that falls outside the range in which its values are known.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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