Definition of APPROXIMATE

approximate

Plural: approximates

Verb

  • be close or similar
    • "Her results approximate my own"
  • judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time)
  • To estimate.
  • To come near to; to approach.
  • To carry or advance near; to cause to approach.

Adjective Satellite

  • not quite exact or correct
    • "the approximate time was 10 o'clock"
  • very close in resemblance
    • "sketched in an approximate likeness"
  • located close together
    • "approximate leaves grow together but are not united"

Adj

  • Approaching; proximate; nearly resembling.
  • Nearing correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate.
  • Drawn close together, but not united.

Noun

  • An approximate result or quantity.

Examples

  • approximate results or values
  • I approximated the value of pi by taking 22 divided by 7.
  • NASA’s Genesis spacecraft has on board an ion monitor to record the speed, density, temperature and approximate composition of the solar wind ions.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English approximat(e) (“close, near (to); similar; intimate”, also used as the past participle of approximaten), from Latin approximātus, the perfect passive participle of approximō (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), further from ad- (“to, towards, at”) + proximō (“to come near”). The nouns was derived from the adjective through substantivization, see -ate (noun-forming suffix). See also proximate.

Synonyms

approximative, close together, come close, estimate, gauge, guess, judge, near, rough, close

Antonyms

exact, precise

Scrabble Score: 24

approximate: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
approximate: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
approximate: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 27

approximate: valid Words With Friends Word