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.
Mr Justice Nicklin started to ask what the best single piece of evidence for each article was, and Sherborne was forced to say: "We are asking your lordship to extrapolate."
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
“Investors tend to extrapolate recent performance. Periods of strong gains foster overconfidence.”
From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026
“Even when we extrapolate the best-case scenario for chip production from our suppliers, it’s still not enough,” Musk said at the Nov. 6 annual meeting.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 19, 2025
You can’t just take an analysis of the past, no matter how careful it is, and assume you can extrapolate it into the future.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025
The names scratched into the posts no longer match the occupants, but I can extrapolate who’s who.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
