estimate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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an approximate judgment or calculation, as of the value, amount, time, size, or weight of something.
- Synonyms:
- appraisal, calculation, valuation
-
a judgment or opinion, as of the qualities of a person or thing.
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a statement of the approximate charge for work to be done, submitted by a person or business firm ready to undertake the work.
verb
-
to form an approximate idea of (distance, size, cost, etc); calculate roughly; gauge
-
(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
-
(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
-
a statement indicating the likely charge for or cost of certain work
-
a judgment; appraisal; opinion
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
well-estimatedadjective
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reestimatenoun
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preestimateverb (used with object)
-
estimatinglyadverb
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unestimatedadjective
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preestimatenoun
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reestimateverb (used with object)
-
estimatornoun
-
self-estimatenoun
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estimativeadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have estimatedperfect
-
has estimatedperfect 3rd person singular
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are estimatingprogressive
-
has been estimatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
am estimatingprogressive 1st person singular
-
have been estimatingperfect progressive
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is estimatingprogressive 3rd person singular
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estimatessingular 3rd person
-
estimatingparticiple
Past
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had estimatedperfect
-
were estimatingprogressive plural
-
was estimatingprogressive singular
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estimatedsimple
-
estimatedparticiple
-
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.
Using a technique known as Approximate Bayesian Computation, the researchers worked backward from the fossil record to estimate how far organisms spread and how intensely they competed for resources.
From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026
The trustees, however, included in their report an estimate of when the trust funds would be depleted if combined, in order to illustrate the actuarial status of the Social Security program as a whole.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
That backs an early estimate the economy has bounced back since shrinking slightly in the first quarter, likely powered in part by stronger exports.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Close to 2,000 homes and 6,000 public schools have been damaged by their estimate so far, he added.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
I pictured my dad pacing inside, repair estimate in hand, but it wasn’t like that.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
