Trivia Time

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

Test Your Knowledge

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

---

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

---

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

Democratic lawmaker Mary Peltola, running for a Senate seat in the battleground state of Alaska, takes a similar approach.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

But over the past decade, there’s been a shift in attitudes among parents, with some trying a more involved approach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

When asked whether West Virginia’s centralized approach to data-center development made more sense than the way most states are doing it, Van Nieuwerburgh called it “interesting.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

Lamb and Well take a more biographical approach rather than dipping heavily into broader cultural conversations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

Jeremy didn't need to walk to the barn; having sensed his approach, Tiamat was waiting for him in the yard.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

But Christine Idzelis explained how you can already invest in Anthropic’s privately held shares, along with approaches you can take to juice the bet following the IPO.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

There are other approaches, too: Sanofi’s Flublok is made synthetically in labs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

When the solar wind approaches a planet with a magnetic field, it encounters a boundary known as the bow shock.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

Mark DiCamillo, the poll’s director, said previous surveys showed support for Proposition 40 has been fragile, and the most recent shows its prospects have dimmed as election day approaches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

A man with wide eyes and unsteady breath approaches me.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

If he were running, say, a pension fund, and he was approached by private equity, he said, “I would be very careful about what was being offered to me.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

In 1893, the San Francisco Examiner approached four California super millionaires — today’s billionaires — for advice on prospering in the state.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

A few years ago, McCormack was even approached by a New Jersey priest, who asked for help updating his church in the Cheesecake Factory fashion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

IMF Chief Kristalina Georgieva first disclosed that Iraq had approached the Fund for a new program at the Fund's annual meetings in Bangkok earlier this month.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

A woman in a white uniform approached his bed.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Today, they are approaching $17 trillion, or about 15 times as much.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

The Cabinet Office, which has overall responsibility for the Civil Service Pension Scheme, previously said only a small number of these cases were approaching the two-year threshold.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

As deadlines for the ports’ clean-air goals are approaching, they are motivated to accelerate the transition to green vehicles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Police charged 24-year-old Nouman Essghir with entering or approaching a "prohibited place" for a purpose "prejudicial" to the interests of the United Kingdom.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

More and more people wanted their lawns mowed—on the second day I had eight jobs—and the fact was that I was fast approaching my limit.

From "Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

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

---