extrapolate

American  

[ik-strap-uh-leyt] / ɪkˈstræp əˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

• extrapolates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• extrapolated,
  past participle,  past
• extrapolating
  present participle

1. to infer (an unknown) from something that is known; conjecture.

2. Statistics. to estimate (the value of a variable) outside the tabulated or observed range.

3. Mathematics. to estimate (a function that is known over a range of values of its independent variable) to values outside the known range.

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verb (used without object)

• extrapolates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• extrapolated,
  past participle,  past
• extrapolating
  present participle

1. to perform extrapolation.

extrapolate British  

/ ɪkˈstræpəˌleɪt /

verb

1. maths to estimate (a value of a function or measurement) beyond the values already known, by the extension of a curve Compare interpolate

2. to infer (something not known) by using but not strictly deducing from the known facts

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extrapolate Scientific  

/ ĭk-străp′ə-lāt′ /

1. To estimate the value of a quantity that falls outside the range in which its values are known.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• extrapolation
  noun
• extrapolator
  noun
• overextrapolation
  noun
• extrapolative
  adjective
• extrapolatory
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• extrapolating
  present
• extrapolated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• extrapolate
  simple
• extrapolates
  simple
• have extrapolated
  perfect
• has extrapolated
  perfect
• am extrapolating
  progressive
• are extrapolating
  progressive
• is extrapolating
  progressive
• have been extrapolating
  perfect progressive
• has been extrapolating
  perfect progressive

Past

• extrapolated
  simple
• had extrapolated
  perfect
• was extrapolating
  progressive
• were extrapolating
  progressive
• had been extrapolating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will extrapolate
  simple
• will have extrapolated
  perfect
• will be extrapolating
  progressive
• will have been extrapolating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of extrapolate

First recorded in 1825–35; extra- + (inter)polate

Explanation

When you extrapolate, you use specific details to make a general conclusion. For example, if you travel to Canada and encounter only friendly, kind natives, you might extrapolate that all Canadians are friendly. The verb extrapolate can mean "to predict future outcomes based on known facts." For example, looking at your current grade report for math and how you are doing in class now, you could extrapolate that you'll likely earn a solid B for the year. Another meaning of extrapolate is "estimate the value of." You could extrapolate how much your antique watch is worth by finding how much similar watches sold for at recent auctions.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

extrapolate extrapolates extrapolated extrapolating

Generative AI can synthesize and extrapolate in valuable ways, but it also can produce wrong answers or take on tasks that educators would see as inappropriate or counterproductive — such as writing papers for students.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

There’s another reason not to extrapolate recent decades’ huge success for U.S. equities.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

"If you extrapolate back, then perhaps the first ones were soft-bodied creatures with entirely organic skeletons and no minerals at all," Xiao said.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2026

Mr Justice Nicklin started to ask what the best single piece of evidence for each article was, and Sherborne was forced to say: "We are asking your lordship to extrapolate."

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026

Merely rational thought—forgive me for preaching, but I must, I must!—merely rational thought leaves the mind incurably crippled in a closed and ossified system, it can only extrapolate from the past.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner

Ms. Snider’s libretto fictionalizes and extrapolates from the historical record.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026

Instead, he extrapolates non-human data to people, using in vitro studies, or in vivo studies on non-human animals, to make prescriptive recommendations for lifestyle changes.

From Slate ● Mar. 27, 2024

The U-M system takes GPS data from a percentage of vehicles on the road and extrapolates traffic patterns.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2024

Fermilab's particle accelerator fires protons and anti-protons into each other at near-light speed and closely observes the explosion of energetic particles resulting in the aftermath, then extrapolates their characteristics.

From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2022

It extrapolates from current events to remind us of the ever-growing threats to liberty.

From Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

The figures are based on a representative sample of 550 forecourts, comparing the five months prior to the outbreak with the five months after it started, and extrapolated to the UK's 8,359 forecourts.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

The authors of the study estimated that their circumscribed findings extrapolated countywide could represent up to $114 million in losses over a month of sustained enforcement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

But the stock market has “taken this demand and extrapolated it into the future,” with chip and memory stocks adding $7.8 trillion in market cap this year.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026

That data can ultimately be extrapolated to regions where there isn’t much flood information to help predict sudden rainfall, Google said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026

His head is full of statistics, facts and figures extrapolated into thousands of different combinations and comparisons.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan

I remember thinking that wealth is a great barrier to harm and then feeling silly for extrapolating my own experience once again.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026

No matter the reading, investors should be careful about extrapolating March’s trend into the coming months.

From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026

Lastly, Hsueh estimates that mined gold for full-year 2025, extrapolating from the first nine months of the year, will reach 3,693 tonnes which is a very modest response to the higher prices.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 26, 2025

Where “I Think You Should Leave” operates like a jukebox, “The Chair Company” is a concept album extrapolating a single sight gag into a swirl of lunacy on par with an extended free jazz performance.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2025

But there are good reasons to be very careful in extrapolating from modern forager societies to ancient ones.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

• deduce
• hypothesize