Trivia Time

Which fictional character is known for having a clumsy romantic approach?

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approach

American  

[uh-prohch] / əˈproʊtʃ /

verb (used with object)

• approaches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• approached,
  past participle,  past
• approaching
  present participle

1. 

   to come near or nearer to.

   The cars slowed down as they approached the intersection.

   Synonyms:

   near

2. to come near to in quality, character, time, or condition; to come within range for comparison.

   As a poet he hardly approaches Keats.

3. to present, offer, or make a proposal or request to.

   to approach the president with a suggestion.

4. to begin work on; set about.

   to approach a problem.

5. to make advances to; address.

6. to bring near to something.

   Antonyms:

   withdraw

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verb (used without object)

• approaches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• approached,
  past participle,  past
• approaching
  present participle

1. to come nearer; draw near.

   A storm is approaching.

2. to come near in character, time, amount, etc.; approximate.

noun

• approaches
  plural

1. the act of drawing near.

   the approach of a train.

2. nearness or close approximation.

   a fair approach to accuracy.

3. any means of access, as a road or ramp.

   the approaches to a city.

4. the method used or steps taken in setting about a task, problem, etc..

   His approach to any problem was to prepare an outline.

5. the course to be followed by an aircraft in approaching for a landing or in joining a traffic pattern.

   The plane's approach to the airport was hazardous.

6. Sometimes approaches. a presentation, offer, or proposal.

7. Military. approaches, works for protecting forces in an advance against a fortified position.

8. Also called approach shot. Golf. a stroke made after teeing off, by which a player attempts to get the ball onto the putting green.

9. Bowling.

   1. the steps taken and the manner employed in delivering the ball.

      He favors a four-step approach.

   2. Also called runway. the area behind the foul line, from which the ball is delivered.

approach British  

/ əˈprəʊtʃ /

verb

1. to come nearer in position, time, quality, character, etc, to (someone or something)

2. (tr) to make advances to, as with a proposal, suggestion, etc

3. (tr) to begin to deal with

   to approach a problem

4. rare (tr) to cause to come near

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noun

1. the act of coming towards or drawing close or closer

2. a close approximation

3. the way or means of entering or leaving; access

4. (often plural) an advance or overture to a person

5. a means adopted in tackling a problem, job of work, etc

6. Also called: approach path. the course followed by an aircraft preparing for landing

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• approacher
  noun
• reapproach
  verb
• approachless
  adjective
• unapproached
  adjective
• unapproaching
  adjective
• well-approached
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• approaches
  plural

Participles

• approaching
  present
• approached
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• approach
  simple
• approaches
  simple
• have approached
  perfect
• has approached
  perfect
• am approaching
  progressive
• are approaching
  progressive
• is approaching
  progressive
• have been approaching
  perfect progressive
• has been approaching
  perfect progressive

Past

• approached
  simple
• had approached
  perfect
• was approaching
  progressive
• were approaching
  progressive
• had been approaching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will approach
  simple
• will have approached
  perfect
• will be approaching
  progressive
• will have been approaching
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of approach

First recorded in 1275–1325; (verb) Middle English a(p)prochen, from Old French aprochier, from Late Latin adpropiāre “to draw near,” equivalent to ad- “to” and propiāre “to draw near,” derivative of Latin propius “nearer” (comparative of prope “near”), replacing Latin appropinquāre; (noun) late Middle English approche, derivative of the verb; see ad- ( def. ), propinquity ( def. )

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Explanation

To approach is to get near something. An airplane is cleared for a final approach just as the wheels approach the landing strip. Approach comes from the Latin word appropriare which means "go nearer to." You can physically approach something, like a waiter going to a table. Or, you can approach a subject, usually one you're a little nervous about — like a new employee might approach her boss about getting a raise. Time can also approach, like winter, midnight, or even old age.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

approach approaches approached approaching

Now Matos draws on that experience for his own player-focused approach.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Las Vegas has taken an aggressive approach and reduced the metro region’s water use by 40% since 2002, even as its population doubled, according to a spokesman for the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

May says he knows some viewers will be furious with this approach, but he hopes that if they watch all five episodes, they’ll get a full picture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh has made it clear he wants to revamp the central bank’s approach to communication.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

As we approach the front door, Mother calls out, “Madre, Padre, hermana, hermano, hemos llegado.”

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

And does it work better than other approaches?

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

As the 60th anniversary of the disaster approaches, Williams will be honoured with a purple plaque, external to commemorate her courage.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

The bank has received approaches from potential U.S. deal partners as it publicly spars with Swiss politicians over substantially higher capital requirements.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Both approaches reduced the accumulation of senescent cells and lowered levels of the inflammatory substances they release.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Mounted possemen look on as a state trooper approaches an unconscious woman.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

Tofino approached each of his handlers in turn as they knelt in shallow water and stroked his sides.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Duwai approached village elders with a proposal to protect part of their fishing grounds, originally a 30-by-40-metre area within the reef.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Three years after accepting the Liverpool post, Bruch was approached to help create Scotland’s first conservatory of music.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

But for many Americans, it may be best approached with a healthy dose of skepticism.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

As he approached nearer, he could hear Handsome going on about something.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

The approaching Northern Hemisphere winter leaves the market with little margin for error: until refining output recovers, inventories rebuild and shipping risks ease, efforts to lower diesel prices are likely to face significant limits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Technology stocks are approaching their peak as a portion of the S&P 500, which could portend some rough months ahead.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

He added that the company remains reliant on a subscription business that could be approaching a plateau.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

The experiment followed 12 guinea fowl from two weeks of age until they reached 16 weeks, when the birds were approaching their full adult size.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

When we come to the main road, we see a camel rider approaching from the direction of the eastbound caravan settlement.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

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