extrapolate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to infer (an unknown) from something that is known; conjecture.
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Statistics. to estimate (the value of a variable) outside the tabulated or observed range.
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Mathematics. to estimate (a function that is known over a range of values of its independent variable) to values outside the known range.
verb (used without object)
verb
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maths to estimate (a value of a function or measurement) beyond the values already known, by the extension of a curve Compare interpolate
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to infer (something not known) by using but not strictly deducing from the known facts
Other Word Forms
- extrapolation noun
- extrapolative adjective
- extrapolator noun
- extrapolatory adjective
- overextrapolation noun
Etymology
Origin of extrapolate
First recorded in 1825–35; extra- + (inter)polate
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.
Ms. Snider’s libretto fictionalizes and extrapolates from the historical record.
Regional professional circuit PPA Tour Asia says more than 16 million people in Vietnam have picked up a paddle, though that figure is extrapolated from a survey of around 1,000 respondents.
From Barron's
What’s important is understanding how human hands can grasp an object, and then extrapolating that to whatever synthetic appendage has been chosen, she added.
From MarketWatch
What’s important is understanding how human hands can grasp an object, and then extrapolating that to whatever synthetic appendage has been chosen, she added.
From MarketWatch
"In addition, when comparing our constraints with those derived and extrapolated from the early universe's CMB, we also agree well," said Chang.
From Science Daily
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.
