How to Use approximate in a Sentence

approximate

1 of 2 adjective
Definition of approximatenext
Synonyms for approximatenext
  • Can you give me the approximate cost of the repair?
  • This is the approximate location of the ancient city.
  • The shadow of the stick gave an approximate hour of the day.
    — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2023
  • All start times, except for the first game of the day, are approximate.
    — Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 27 June 2022
  • The approximate pick value for the No. 58 pick in the MLB draft is $1.4 million.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 10 July 2023
  • The speed of this downward thrust depends on Namor’s mass and the approximate surface area of the wings.
    — WIRED, 28 Oct. 2022
  • The approximate start of the procession will be 1:30 p.m.
    — Fox 19 Digital Staff, The Enquirer, 1 July 2022
  • Navigate or search for the approximate location of the place on the map.
    — Toby Grey, BGR, 11 Sep. 2022
  • The start time for the Slam Dunk Contest is approximate and will depend on how long or short the other events last.
    — oregonlive, 18 Feb. 2023
  • These times are approximate based on how long the undercard fights and ring walks take.
    — oregonlive, 5 Aug. 2023
  • See the list below for the approximate time each herb needs to spend in the dehydrator to be dry enough to crumble.
    — Savanna Bous, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 July 2023
  • Finding the right size is a matter of pairing your shoe size with your approximate calf size.
    — Deanna Pai, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2023
  • But mourners could only record the approximate month of her death.
    — oregonlive, 9 June 2023
  • The map above shows the approximate locations of those stations.
    — Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2024
  • The prize fund, which will be up for grabs when the next drawing takes place on Wednesday, has an approximate cash value of $516.8 million.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 18 July 2023
  • To offer an animal to the gods was to offer life itself, and a life approximate in size and power to one’s own.
    — New York Times, 11 May 2022
  • Three of the asteroids are the approximate size of commercial airplanes, with the largest among them being 170 feet long.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023
  • Mesa saw an approximate dip of about 8 percent in two-bedroom rates.
    — The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024
  • The bill now heads to the Senate, where it’s expected to pass with scant room to spare before an approximate deadline of Monday.
    — Joseph Morton, Dallas News, 1 June 2023
  • The approximate retail value of the prize, including the welcome gift, is $300.
    — Condé Nast, Vogue, 12 Dec. 2023
  • Both brands do disclose on their boxes the weight and the approximate number of candy pieces inside.
    — Parija Kavilanz, CNN, 14 Feb. 2023
  • His approximate recovery time is nine months, the team said.
    — oregonlive, 1 Aug. 2022
  • Over time, a small clump grows into a thicket the approximate size of Delaware.
    — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 19 Oct. 2023
  • The outfits are starting to come together, but none approximate works of art just yet.
    — Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE, 31 Aug. 2023
  • Map showing the approximate area where a U.S. military craft crashed into the sea, about 45 miles south of mainland Japan.
    — Arata Yamamoto, NBC News, 4 Dec. 2023
  • Each tiki torch in the set of four stands five feet high and holds 12 ounces of oil for an approximate six-hour burn time—long enough for a barbecue that extends late into the evening.
    — Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 21 June 2022
  • The collection includes five soy wax candles made in Canada (Eh!), each with 48 to 63 hours of approximate burn time.
    — ELLE, 21 July 2022
  • Enter Equal Pay Day — an approximate measure of just how many months into the new year a woman has to work for her earnings to catch up with what a man made in the prior year.
    — Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 14 Mar. 2023
  • To calculate square footage, multiply the room’s approximate length by its width and find an air purifier that will work in the space.
    — Alida Nugent, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2023
  • Lorraine measures the approximate distance kicked, evaluates the terrain kicked on, and rates how crazily the rock rolls about.
    — Maddie Mortell, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Dec. 2022
Advertisement

approximate

2 of 2 verb
  • The colors in the pictures can only approximate the real thing.
  • I've finally found a vegetarian burger that approximates the taste of real beef.
  • So there's recipes that sort of approximate how the Vikings ate it.
    — Wired Staff, WIRED, 6 Oct. 2022
  • The doc is wisely shot in black and white, to approximate the mood of Downey Sr.
    — Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2022
  • In each case, the deep net would need to learn to approximate a new function.
    — Quanta Magazine, 19 Apr. 2021
  • The strength of the signal helps approximate how close people are.
    — Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Dec. 2020
  • The next step is trying to approximate the schedule of an in-person school day.
    — Brian Platzer, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2021
  • From song to song, the album approximates the emotional whiplash of falling in and out of love.
    — David Peisner, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2024
  • The moves were part of the overall approval of the city’s approximate $182 million budget for the fiscal year starting May 1.
    — Steve Sadin, chicagotribune.com, 7 July 2021
  • That could approximate or exceed the revenue growth rate in 2019.
    — Telis Demos, WSJ, 28 Apr. 2022
  • Here’s a playlist that rummages through pop history to approximate what the next couple of weeks might feel like.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2020
  • The researchers crunched the numbers to approximate how air, rather than water, would flow into the same structure.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 1 June 2021
  • The cram course in haute cuisine food prep enabled Edebiri to approximate the skill set of a gifted sous-chef.
    — Hugh Hart, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2022
  • The one character who approximates the requirements is Tedros — in the world of the show, the outsize magnetism belongs to him.
    — Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, 30 June 2023
  • The best ticket at an Olympic venue couldn't begin to approximate what an NBC camera sees.
    — Ted Anthony, ajc, 1 Aug. 2021
  • Mature finger limes approximate a human thumb in size and shape (hence the name).
    — Zoe Denenberg, Bon Appétit, 12 Jan. 2024
  • Plus, there’s just something fun about popping open a sparkling-wine bottle that a can can’t approximate.
    — Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 June 2021
  • The weight of the snow pushes some of the fluid up through a tube, giving a reading that approximated the snow’s water content.
    — Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2023
  • The 30-year-old baker Mina Park, who owns the Brooklyn cake shop 99, approximates fondant with mochi.
    — Zoey Poll Katja Mayer, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024
  • They were sent to a home address or post office box near the area’s election office, to approximate the path ballots would take.
    — The Enquirer and Usa Today, The Enquirer, 26 Oct. 2020
  • Each round is decorated with ropes of dough that have been stretched and indented to approximate the shape of bumpy bones.
    — Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2021
  • This ring means something to me: To my mental health, my peace of mind, the never-ending art of approximating balance.
    — Erika Veurink, Vogue, 27 Sep. 2023
  • Head to the gym midday and approximate the magic morning routine at noon.
    — Sherry Walling, Fortune Well, 15 Aug. 2023
  • Some non-alcoholic wines can come close to approximating the flavor and texture of wine, but those are hard to come by.
    — Ni'kesia Pannell, Woman's Day, 15 Mar. 2023
  • But Posey acknowledged that none of that work can approximate an encounter with a big-league pitcher.
    — Henry Schulman, SFChronicle.com, 15 Dec. 2020
  • For those that have been tested, our pros used the models at home to best approximate the frequency and variety of home use.
    — Sarah Wharton, Good Housekeeping, 17 Feb. 2023
  • Kharas and King are fully immersed in club culture, writing catchy pop songs that approximate the build and release of the best dance-floor drugs.
    — Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2022
  • Even so, people around the word can still use this chart to approximate the moon's position relative to Mars and Aldebaran.
    — Todd Nelson, Star Tribune, 17 Feb. 2021
  • While the origins of tarot are somewhat hazy, most researchers approximate the date of origin to the late 14th or early 15th century.
    — Tanya Akim, Forbes, 27 Apr. 2021
  • The intention of the polishing was to approximate soft labor.
    — Kevin Barry, The New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'approximate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: