estimate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
estimates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
estimated,
past participle, past
-
estimating
present participle
verb (used without object)
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estimates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
estimated,
past participle, past
-
estimating
present participle
noun
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estimates
plural
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an approximate judgment or calculation, as of the value, amount, time, size, or weight of something.
- Synonyms:
- appraisal, calculation, valuation
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a judgment or opinion, as of the qualities of a person or thing.
-
a statement of the approximate charge for work to be done, submitted by a person or business firm ready to undertake the work.
verb
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to form an approximate idea of (distance, size, cost, etc); calculate roughly; gauge
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to form an opinion about; judge
to estimate one's chances
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to submit (an approximate price) for (a job) to a prospective client
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(tr) statistics to assign a value (a point estimate ) or range of values (an interval estimate ) to a parameter of a population on the basis of sampling statistics See estimator
noun
-
an approximate calculation
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a statement indicating the likely charge for or cost of certain work
-
a judgment; appraisal; opinion
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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estimatornoun
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preestimatenoun
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reestimatenoun
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self-estimatenoun
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preestimateverb (used with object)
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reestimateverb (used with object)
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estimativeadjective
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unestimatedadjective
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well-estimatedadjective
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estimatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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estimatesimple
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estimatessimple
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have estimatedperfect
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has estimatedperfect
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am estimatingprogressive
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are estimatingprogressive
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is estimatingprogressive
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have been estimatingperfect progressive
-
has been estimatingperfect progressive
Past
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estimatedsimple
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had estimatedperfect
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was estimatingprogressive
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were estimatingprogressive
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had been estimatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of estimate
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin aestimātus “valued,” past participle of aestimāre “to value, fix the value of”
Explanation
A rough calculation or appraisal is an estimate. When you hit another baseball through the kitchen window, your parents will get an estimate of the repair costs. And you should estimate being grounded for approximately 3 weeks. An estimate is kind of like a very educated guess. Making an estimate takes good evaluation skills, and usually estimates are pretty close to the actual outcome. If the garage bill is way higher than the estimate they gave you, for example, you have a right to be angry. But if you forgot to factor in rush hour traffic when you estimated the drive from Boston to New York, that's your own fault.
Vocabulary lists containing estimate
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Arithmetic
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Tax Day Words
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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:
The Conservatives estimate their reforms would reduce the number of affected estates in 2030 to 22,000.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Researchers used a model created by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts to estimate how seasonal atmospheric changes alter Earth's center of mass.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
That agreement means around 78,000 employees from Samsung's 125,000-strong domestic workforce are eligible to receive a bonus of roughly $370,000 this year, based on a market estimate of profits.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
But here’s a sobering estimate: to justify all the cash being invested in AI, American businesses and consumers would have to spend about as much on AI in 2032 as they do on food.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
One estimate, certainly an exaggeration, put the toll at two hundred.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
The organization also noted that there is no central database that tracks volunteer firefighters so all participation numbers are estimates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
In its latest update, the US National Hurricane Center estimates that Tropical Storm Isaias will strengthen rapidly and is likely to reach hurricane strength during Wednesday night.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
At around 35 million hectolitres the total harvest would be down two percent on a mediocre 2025 yield and 14 percent below the 2021–2025 average, according to estimates published Wednesday by the ministry of agriculture.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
It is also consistent with estimates that Earth and the Moon formed roughly 100 million years after the Sun, with the Moon likely being the result of a collision between Earth and a Mars-sized object.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
He knew he would be giving many estimates in the coming weeks.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
This would also result in its workforce shrinking by 175,000, he estimated.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
One peer-reviewed study estimated the socially optimal recycling rate—the point at which benefits, including environmental ones, most exceed costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The stock currently trades at just six times estimated earnings for that fiscal year, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
The Second World War, meanwhile, inflicted its own deadly toll -- the Soviet Union suffered the highest casualties, with 20-27 million people estimated to have died, both civilians and military.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
During this war, an estimated 15 percent of American sailors are black men.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Exports, led by technology hardware makers, likely remained robust in September, with economists estimating growth of 40% to 59.7% from a year earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
That finding challenges the usual way scientists interpret thermal stress and provides a new approach for estimating total heat exposure across coastal ecosystems.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
That commentary suggests the risk to September jobs could be higher than what analysts are estimating.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 27, 2026
But relatives had some concerns about his weight, estimating the boy to be about 200 pounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Joliot’s team accomplished that task in March, estimating the yield of secondary neutrons from U-235 at about 3.5 neutrons per uranium fission.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
