estimate

[es-tuh-meyt, es-tuh-mit, -meyt]

verb (used with object)

estimated, estimating 

1. to form an approximate judgment or opinion regarding the worth, amount, size, weight, etc., of; calculate approximately.

   to estimate the cost of a college education.

   Synonyms: appraise, evaluate, value, assess, gauge, reckon, count, compute

2. to form an opinion of; judge.

verb (used without object)

estimated, estimating 

1. to make an estimate.

noun

1. an approximate judgment or calculation, as of the value, amount, time, size, or weight of something.

   Synonyms: appraisal, calculation, valuation

2. a judgment or opinion, as of the qualities of a person or thing.

3. a statement of the approximate charge for work to be done, submitted by a person or business firm ready to undertake the work.

estimate

verb

1. to form an approximate idea of (distance, size, cost, etc); calculate roughly; gauge

2. (tr; may take a clause as object) to form an opinion about; judge

   to estimate one's chances

3. to submit (an approximate price) for (a job) to a prospective client

4. (tr) statistics to assign a value (a point estimate ) or range of values (an interval estimate ) to a parameter of a population on the basis of sampling statistics See estimator

noun

1. an approximate calculation

2. a statement indicating the likely charge for or cost of certain work

3. a judgment; appraisal; opinion

Other Word Forms

• estimative adjective
• estimatingly adverb
• estimator noun
• preestimate noun
• reestimate noun
• self-estimate noun
• unestimated adjective
• well-estimated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of estimate¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin aestimātus “valued,” past participle of aestimāre “to value, fix the value of”

Word History and Origins

Origin of estimate¹

C16: from Latin aestimāre to assess the worth of, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

The chancellor is facing a Budget shortfall of about £22bn, according to a recent estimate.

Read more on BBC

Albinism, which affects an estimated 30,000 people in Tanzania, is a rare genetic condition that reduces melanin - the pigment that gives colour to skin, eyes and hair.

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Technology companies outside the so-called Magnificent Seven also outperformed, with International Business Machines leaping 7.9% Friday after its earnings beat Wall Street estimates earlier in the week.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Starmer and colleagues estimate the cost of their net-zero electricity pledge at some £40 billion a year in government spending and private investments.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Barron’s estimated the new rate based on the September CPI report released this morning.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• appraisal 
• assessment 
• conclusion 
• estimation 
• evaluation 
• guess 
• measure 
• measurement 
• opinion 
• projection 
• rating 
• survey 
• valuation