Trivia Time

Which fictional character is known for having a clumsy romantic approach?

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approach

American  

[uh-prohch] / əˈproʊtʃ /

verb (used with object)

• approaches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• approached,
  past participle,  past
• approaching
  present participle

1. 

   to come near or nearer to.

   The cars slowed down as they approached the intersection.

   Synonyms:

   near

2. to come near to in quality, character, time, or condition; to come within range for comparison.

   As a poet he hardly approaches Keats.

3. to present, offer, or make a proposal or request to.

   to approach the president with a suggestion.

4. to begin work on; set about.

   to approach a problem.

5. to make advances to; address.

6. to bring near to something.

   Antonyms:

   withdraw

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verb (used without object)

• approaches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• approached,
  past participle,  past
• approaching
  present participle

1. to come nearer; draw near.

   A storm is approaching.

2. to come near in character, time, amount, etc.; approximate.

noun

• approaches
  plural

1. the act of drawing near.

   the approach of a train.

2. nearness or close approximation.

   a fair approach to accuracy.

3. any means of access, as a road or ramp.

   the approaches to a city.

4. the method used or steps taken in setting about a task, problem, etc..

   His approach to any problem was to prepare an outline.

5. the course to be followed by an aircraft in approaching for a landing or in joining a traffic pattern.

   The plane's approach to the airport was hazardous.

6. Sometimes approaches. a presentation, offer, or proposal.

7. Military. approaches, works for protecting forces in an advance against a fortified position.

8. Also called approach shot. Golf. a stroke made after teeing off, by which a player attempts to get the ball onto the putting green.

9. Bowling.

   1. the steps taken and the manner employed in delivering the ball.

      He favors a four-step approach.

   2. Also called runway. the area behind the foul line, from which the ball is delivered.

approach British  

/ əˈprəʊtʃ /

verb

1. to come nearer in position, time, quality, character, etc, to (someone or something)

2. (tr) to make advances to, as with a proposal, suggestion, etc

3. (tr) to begin to deal with

   to approach a problem

4. rare (tr) to cause to come near

---

noun

1. the act of coming towards or drawing close or closer

2. a close approximation

3. the way or means of entering or leaving; access

4. (often plural) an advance or overture to a person

5. a means adopted in tackling a problem, job of work, etc

6. Also called: approach path. the course followed by an aircraft preparing for landing

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• approacher
  noun
• reapproach
  verb
• approachless
  adjective
• unapproached
  adjective
• unapproaching
  adjective
• well-approached
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• approaches
  plural

Participles

• approaching
  present
• approached
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• approach
  simple
• approaches
  simple
• have approached
  perfect
• has approached
  perfect
• am approaching
  progressive
• are approaching
  progressive
• is approaching
  progressive
• have been approaching
  perfect progressive
• has been approaching
  perfect progressive

Past

• approached
  simple
• had approached
  perfect
• was approaching
  progressive
• were approaching
  progressive
• had been approaching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will approach
  simple
• will have approached
  perfect
• will be approaching
  progressive
• will have been approaching
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of approach

First recorded in 1275–1325; (verb) Middle English a(p)prochen, from Old French aprochier, from Late Latin adpropiāre “to draw near,” equivalent to ad- “to” and propiāre “to draw near,” derivative of Latin propius “nearer” (comparative of prope “near”), replacing Latin appropinquāre; (noun) late Middle English approche, derivative of the verb; see ad- ( def. ), propinquity ( def. )

Explanation

To approach is to get near something. An airplane is cleared for a final approach just as the wheels approach the landing strip. Approach comes from the Latin word appropriare which means "go nearer to." You can physically approach something, like a waiter going to a table. Or, you can approach a subject, usually one you're a little nervous about — like a new employee might approach her boss about getting a raise. Time can also approach, like winter, midnight, or even old age.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

approach approaches approached approaching

Nevertheless, we need a balanced approach to avoid the putative pitfalls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

But when he first developed an interest in filmmaking, he had a lighter approach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

According to the EFL commission, the club employed "a particularly deplorable approach" by using junior members of staff to conduct the spying "at the direction of senior personnel".

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Dismissing this argument as "absurd," Gregoire said that he "fully stood by" his approach at a time of strained public finances.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

As I approach the station, I keep waiting to be afraid of the sound of a skittering rock, a shadow in the doorway, an unrecognizable voice.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

She said there were powers available to allow local government to franchise and take on their own approaches and said those opportunities needed to be looked at.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Several attempts came after independence, including approaches to Saudi Arabia and France, and talks with China and South Korea.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

How candidates across the country who have made renter priorities a part of their campaign fair could influence how Connecticut’s Democrat-controlled legislature approaches the issue, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

By simulating these effects at exceptionally high resolution, the researchers were able to capture structures in the gas that simpler approaches can miss.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026

The aim of this chapter is simply to reflect on whether traditional approaches to racial justice advocacy are adequate to the task at hand.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

After $1.7 million in payments, prosecutors said Hastert stopped giving the man money in late 2014 after authorities, aware of suspicious bank withdrawals, approached the former speaker to investigate whether he was being extorted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison has approached Thompson about staying in charge following the merger with Warner Bros.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

But as the session ended in the evening without the bill's passage, demonstrators approached police lines in an attempt to stop lawmakers from leaving.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Thames Water has been approached for a response.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Just as we approached my cottage, I stepped into a ditch and went sprawling.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

On Tuesday, Hanks posted video of himself approaching André and his security team at the event and exchanging some words with the comedian.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

The illness is highly fatal, with average fatality rates approaching 100%.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

The analyst said that Asian brands are expected to account for more than half of US new vehicle sales in the third quarter, for the second quarter in a row, "approaching record-high market share levels."

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

"What we discovered is something approaching a biological unifying theory of fatigue."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

I went slowly to the ghetto and stood in the shadow of a doorway, watching our deserted section of fence for a long time before approaching it.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

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