approximate
Americanadjective
-
near or approaching a certain state, condition, goal, or standard.
-
nearly exact; not perfectly accurate or correct.
The approximate time was 10 o'clock.
-
near; close together.
-
very similar; nearly identical.
verb (used with object)
-
approximates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
approximated,
past participle, past
-
approximating
present participle
-
to come near to; approach closely to.
to approximate an ideal.
-
to estimate.
We approximated the distance at three miles.
-
to simulate; imitate closely.
The motions of the stars can be approximated in a planetarium.
-
to bring near.
verb (used without object)
-
approximates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
approximated,
past participle, past
-
approximating
present participle
adjective
-
almost accurate or exact
-
inexact; rough; loose
only an approximate fit
-
much alike; almost the same
-
near; close together
verb
-
(usually foll by to) to come or bring near or close; be almost the same (as)
-
maths to find an expression for (some quantity) accurate to a specified degree See accurate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
approximatesimple
-
approximatessimple
-
have approximatedperfect
-
has approximatedperfect
-
am approximatingprogressive
-
are approximatingprogressive
-
is approximatingprogressive
-
have been approximatingperfect progressive
-
has been approximatingperfect progressive
Past
-
approximatedsimple
-
had approximatedperfect
-
was approximatingprogressive
-
were approximatingprogressive
-
had been approximatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of approximate
1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin approximātus drawn near to, approached (past participle of approximāre ). See ap- 1, proximate
Explanation
To approximate is to calculate the value of something based on informed knowledge. A computer program can approximate the value of a house based on square footage, number of rooms, year built, and other relevant factors. As a verb, approximate means "to estimate." Unlike the word guess, approximate implies the use of a logical or mathematical method. You might guess how tall a friend is based on the first number that comes to mind, but you could approximate his height by using your own height as a comparison. As an adjective, approximate can mean "near" or "close together." If your friend calls to say he’s at a location approximate to your house, she’s in your neighborhood.
Vocabulary lists containing approximate
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 1
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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.
See Examples For:
"Because the collision was considered violent enough to melt and vaporize large portions of Earth and Theia, those previous papers assumed that it is okay to approximate them as fluids," Asphaug said.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
He gave an approximate estimate that the VAT cut in Northern Ireland would initially cost the Treasury between £225m and £250m a year.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Senate seats in South Carolina become open with the approximate frequency of a total solar eclipse.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
You’re doing your own planning, but you can approximate the process.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
A mile out, they would arrange the boats in a circle on the black sea, drop their nets, and, holding their lanterns over the water, they would approximate the moon.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
To save the hue, Voltarc reformulated it with a clever workaround: a color-balancing technique that approximates the iconic green glow without the missing component.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
“We continue to believe that ARCC’s current dividend approximates the long-run underlying earnings power of our business,” CEO Kort Schnabel told listeners on last week’s earnings call.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
The more time they spend together during a summer in an Argentine beachside town, the more Maxi’s straight guy curiosity approximates real romantic interest for the cautious but enticed Pedro.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025
His explanation for this time frame is that it approximates the debt refinancing cycle because the weighted average maturity of that debt is just over five years.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 21, 2025
Instead he approximates the accents of teachers and classmates.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
The researchers first used a vacuum pump to remove air from glass tubes, producing conditions that approximated the near emptiness of space.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
So when he launched his own podcast this October, my reaction roughly approximated that one Vince McMahon meme: Bill Nighy has an advice podcast?
From Salon ● Dec. 26, 2025
To avoid overlap, the vertical placement of some circles is approximated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2025
A corona of neon tubes overhead and along the walls of Davies Symphony Hall looked cheesy but approximated Scriabin’s color concept.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
He’d even approximated the artillery reach from each of the gun turrets on the towers and signified with dotted lines how he guessed the different inner chambers would be laid out.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
The majority of its dozen tracks coast along with an agreeable yet lifeless electro-pop groove, with layered voices approximating the earnest and indistinct ballads of latter-day Coldplay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
While Fennell’s film anchors itself in Brontë’s narrative landscape, it also takes creative liberties in service of approximating the director’s personal experience reading it as a teen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026
In something more approximating plain English: Smith could ask Cannon’s de facto bosses at the U.S.
From Salon ● May 16, 2024
However, scientists think they are close to approximating a Majorana particle in a much different guise.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 20, 2023
I toss down a couple steps of something approximating the Charleston.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
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.
