approximate

[ adjective uh-prok-suh-mit; verb uh-prok-suh-meyt ]

/ adjective əˈprɒk sə mɪt; verb əˈprɒk səˌmeɪt /

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See synonyms for: approximate / approximating / approximately on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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), ap·prox·i·mat·ed, ap·prox·i·mat·ing.

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), ap·prox·i·mat·ed, ap·prox·i·mat·ing.

to come near in position, character, amount, etc.

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Origin of approximate

1400–50; late Middle English <Late Latin approximātus drawn near to, approached (past participle of approximāre). See ap-¹, proximate

OTHER WORDS FROM approximate

ap·prox·i·mate·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use approximate in a sentence

From here, we can use the process of elimination to approximate coverages.
In effective pass coverage, what you see isn’t always what you get|Richard Johnson|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
Neural networks are usually trained to approximate functions between inputs and outputs defined in Euclidean space, your classic graph with x, y, and z axes.
AI has cracked a key mathematical puzzle for understanding our world|Karen Hao|October 30, 2020|MIT Technology Review
While all favorites aren’t created equal, this inches the exercise closer to a fairer approximate baseline with which to compare home-and-road splits.
Home Teams Aren’t Winning As Much In College Football This Season. The Big Ten Should Fit Right In.|Josh Planos|October 21, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Since the scanner doesn’t provide information about the internal composition of the bears, the team had to approximate the percentages of body fat, muscle, and water of the scanned animals.
How scientists try to weigh some of the fattest bears on Earth|María Paula Rubiano A.|October 2, 2020|Popular-Science

You can also get an approximate picture by including a question like “How did you find us” in your sign-up forms.
Guide: How to effectively incorporate customer journey mapping into your marketing strategy|Connie Benton|July 14, 2020|Search Engine Watch
That explains the "trap," and it also explains why populations so closely approximated GDP around the world.
Why China > Soviet Union|Ryan Prior|June 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The proteid is then approximated from a consideration of the specific gravity and the percentage of fat.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
A piece of timber which had no access whatever to water approximated worthlessness.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland
The Merino rapidly declined in value, till its price nearly approximated to that of the native sheep.
Domestic Animals|Richard L. Allen
Their killed, wounded, and missing on the eighth approximated three thousand.
The Battle of New Orleans|Zachary F. Smith
But even here the length of certain periods of halt in the glacial retreat can be only very roughly approximated.
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe|John M. Tyler

British Dictionary definitions for approximate

approximate

adjective (əˈprɒksɪmɪt)

almost accurate or exact

inexact; rough; looseonly an approximate fit

much alike; almost the same

near; close together

verb (əˈprɒksɪˌmeɪt)

(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 degreeSee accurate (def. 4)

Derived forms of approximate

approximative, adjective

Word Origin for approximate

C15: from Late Latin approximāre, from Latin proximus nearest, from prope near

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

approximate

Origin of approximate

OTHER WORDS FROM approximate

Words related to approximate

How to use approximate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for approximate

Derived forms of approximate

Word Origin for approximate