approximately

American  

[uh-prok-suh-mit-lee] / əˈprɒk sə mɪt li /

adverb

1. about; roughly; more or less.

   It’s approximately 25 miles from here to El Paso.

   Add approximately 2 cups of milk or water.

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approximately British  

/ əˈprɒksɪmɪtlɪ /

adverb

1. close to; around; roughly or in the region of

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Etymology

Origin of approximately

First recorded in 1845–50; approximate ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Explanation

Approximately is close to a particular time, measurement, or number — but it's not exact. If you plan to meet a friend at approximately 2:00, it will be okay if you are a bit early or late. Approximately has its roots in the Latin word proximus, meaning "nearly." So, approximately means "about" or "close to." If you tell someone there will be approximately seventy people at a dinner, it means you expect seventy people, though the actual number could be a little more or a little less than seventy.

Example Sentences

The driver, identified only as “a 48-year-old man from Salzburg,” was undergoing CPR from first responders when officers arrived at approximately 8:20 a.m.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Drift Protocol lost approximately $285 million in an April 1 cryptocurrency heist, which blockchain analytics companies attribute to North Korea.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Within these groups, the likelihood of developing melanoma within five years reached approximately 33%.

From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026

For the first quarter, Snap said it expects revenue of approximately $1.53 billion, which is up 12% from a year ago and above the average analyst estimate compiled by FactSet of $1.52 billion.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

It was commonplace to regard this as approximately one quarter of the earth/water globe, but it could extend to up to half of the earth/water globe.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• almost
• generally
• relatively
• roughly