approach
Americanverb (used with object)
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to come near or nearer to.
The cars slowed down as they approached the intersection.
- Synonyms:
- near
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to come near to in quality, character, time, or condition; to come within range for comparison.
As a poet he hardly approaches Keats.
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to present, offer, or make a proposal or request to.
to approach the president with a suggestion.
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to begin work on; set about.
to approach a problem.
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to make advances to; address.
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to bring near to something.
- Antonyms:
- withdraw
verb (used without object)
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to come nearer; draw near.
A storm is approaching.
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to come near in character, time, amount, etc.; approximate.
noun
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the act of drawing near.
the approach of a train.
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nearness or close approximation.
a fair approach to accuracy.
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any means of access, as a road or ramp.
the approaches to a city.
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the method used or steps taken in setting about a task, problem, etc..
His approach to any problem was to prepare an outline.
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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.
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Sometimes approaches. a presentation, offer, or proposal.
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Military. approaches, works for protecting forces in an advance against a fortified position.
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Also called approach shot. Golf. a stroke made after teeing off, by which a player attempts to get the ball onto the putting green.
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Bowling.
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the steps taken and the manner employed in delivering the ball.
He favors a four-step approach.
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Also called runway. the area behind the foul line, from which the ball is delivered.
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verb
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to come nearer in position, time, quality, character, etc, to (someone or something)
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(tr) to make advances to, as with a proposal, suggestion, etc
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(tr) to begin to deal with
to approach a problem
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rare (tr) to cause to come near
noun
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the act of coming towards or drawing close or closer
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a close approximation
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the way or means of entering or leaving; access
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(often plural) an advance or overture to a person
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a means adopted in tackling a problem, job of work, etc
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Also called: approach path. the course followed by an aircraft preparing for landing
Other Word Forms
- approacher noun
- approachless adjective
- reapproach verb
- unapproached adjective
- unapproaching adjective
- well-approached adjective
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; ad- ( def. ), propinquity ( def. )
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.
A woman walking her dog on the 700 block of Oakglade Drive was approached by the bear at 9:20 a.m.
From Los Angeles Times
In northern Kentucky, most stations recently showed prices approaching $3.50 for regular unleaded, an increase of more than 50 cents compared with a month ago, according to AAA.
The writer says it was "hilarious" to see the Olivias so unaware of how wrong their approach is, but also adds that "people make mistakes and that's okay".
From BBC
He approaches several dealerships to get quotes on the same car even if he gets a bargain on his first call.
Both approaches can miss events, depend on imperfect memory, and cannot record gas production while someone is asleep.
From Science Daily
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.
