approximately
Americanadverb
adverb
Etymology
Origin of approximately
First recorded in 1845–50; approximate ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
Explanation
Approximately is close to a particular time, measurement, or number — but it's not exact. If you plan to meet a friend at approximately 2:00, it will be okay if you are a bit early or late. Approximately has its roots in the Latin word proximus, meaning "nearly." So, approximately means "about" or "close to." If you tell someone there will be approximately seventy people at a dinner, it means you expect seventy people, though the actual number could be a little more or a little less than seventy.
Vocabulary lists containing approximately
Walk Two Moons
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Ocean Storm Alert!
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STAAR Grade 7 Mathematics: The Language of the Test
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Parkinson's disease affects more than one million Americans, and approximately 90,000 people in the United States are diagnosed each year.
From Science Daily • May 28, 2026
Historically, higher yields begin to have adverse effects on equity valuations as they break above approximately 4-5% in the U.S. and approximately 3-3.5% in Europe, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
Salmonella causes approximately 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the U.S. every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
The police operation concluded at approximately 03:15 on Wednesday morning, with more than 320 fans involved.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
“Angel 5! Angel 5!” he said, “plane down in area approximately ten miles east of runway in the Combahee Island area!”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
