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

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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

Assuming that capital expenditures count for around 25% of sector revenue, maintaining this investment would require the market to approach $6 trillion on a yearly basis, the consultants wrote in a report published Tuesday.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

“We are asking the public to please be aware of your surroundings. If you see the snake, DO NOT approach or attempt to handle it,” the department said in a post on social media.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

Sparks says she wants a new approach, appointing a first-ever head of local product creation for China at the vice-president level, who will report to her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Blanc said construction that borders those flood zones also needs a different approach.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Ama and I approach on either side of Autumn to read what the sign says.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Regulatory approaches usually fall along a continuum, between freedom and innovation at one extreme and safety and stability at the other.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

"Taxi boat" refers to a dinghy that approaches the beach from the sea to pick up migrants in shallow waters off the beach.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

By learning how antimicrobial peptides changed over millions of years, researchers may be able to create new approaches that make it harder for pathogens to develop resistance.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

The fiercest recent fighting has been on the western approaches, where the two sides are contesting high ground overlooking the city's route south.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

Blending into the dark—mouse gray, mouse still—as The Beast approaches I bunch myself to jump.

From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads

After the fifth controlled purchase, Paul approached the informant’s friend, the DU member who had connected the informant to Robinson.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The Premier League declined to comment on the case when approached on Friday.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

The BBC has approached Freeport, which operates Papua's Grasberg mine, one of the world's largest gold and copper operations, for comment.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

As I approached the front door, I paused and questioned myself one final time: Can I actually go through with this?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

While they were busy at their task, he approached Penelope, a greedy, conspiratorial look in his eye.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

It is that Icotyde is the first oral psoriasis drug with efficacy approaching the injectable biologics that dominate the massive immune disease market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Diane Wolfe said she is approaching institutions but declined to identify them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

There’s a huge bulge in the population from the baby boom, and a lot of those people are approaching retirement and own private businesses.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

Meanwhile, TikTok videos of users approaching women, asking for their number and filming their reaction to pick-up lines, are often posted with the hashtag #howtogetagirlfriend and can garner thousands of views.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Christopher turned to the window, but more karkadanns were approaching over the flagstones—eighteen of them, their stink violent in the air.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Related Words

• attitude
• concept
• idea
• manner
• means
• method
• mode
• procedure
• program
• style
• technique
• way