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

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. )

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

“A lot of the time, the whales approach us,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

This approach emphasizes stability instead of speed and energy efficiency, helping explain why older adults may fatigue more quickly and also face a greater risk of falling.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

However, the reason Clarke's exit felt natural for many is that a hefty chunk of fans want to see a change of approach.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

There is no uniform approach to youth development among Premier League clubs.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

After that unfortunate mix-up about the plague, Penelope knew that Lady Constance was much too cross with her and the children to approach.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

Traditional approaches to studying cause-and-effect relationships are often not possible when investigating populations and ecosystems, which are large, complex and messy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Researchers have been especially interested in dietary and probiotic approaches that might increase beneficial indole metabolites.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

The author speculates that Hobsbawm “probably would have accepted either offer,” but finds no evidence of any approaches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

It is actually something of an optical illusion, as the options are not getting more expensive as the earnings date approaches; but they are remaining the same price.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

But then—and this is a miraculous part—we’re walking down the cartoon street when a light approaches behind us.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

Lala strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Saturday, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, as it approached the southern end of the Big Island.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

The Premier League has approached the EFL over potentially capping compensation paid when young players move between academies.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Clemens Ries, who had recently joined the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry for an internship as he approached the end of his biology degree, took on the challenge.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

When I first approached the man behind the counter, he had introduced himself as Bill, saying, “I sort of hang around.”

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

Later that week I was unpacking a trunk when one of the managers approached me.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Residents in Nagekeo, the area closest to the epicentre, raced for higher ground as the sea retreated earlier Saturday -- a possible sign of an approaching tsunami, AFP journalists witnessed.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

We’re approaching the limit of the burden we’ve already agreed as a polity to bear and the means we’ve agreed on to spread the load between current workers and retirees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

"At 11:00 the temperature dropped sharply when totality was approaching," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

“S&P 500 shorts are particularly vulnerable, with the aggregate short book completely offside and average per-position losses approaching 4%,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Beowulf said in admiration, but the thunder of approaching hooves prevented Penelope from correcting him.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• attitude
• concept
• idea
• manner
• means
• method
• mode
• procedure
• program
• style
• technique
• way