extrapolate

verb

ex·​trap·​o·​late ik-ˈstra-pə-ˌlāt How to pronounce extrapolate (audio)
extrapolated; extrapolating

transitive verb

1
a
: to predict by projecting past experience or known data
extrapolate public sentiment on one issue from known public reaction on others
b
: to project, extend, or expand (known data or experience) into an area not known or experienced so as to arrive at a usually conjectural knowledge of the unknown area
extrapolates present trends to construct an image of the future
2
: to infer (values of a variable in an unobserved interval) from values within an already observed interval

intransitive verb

: to perform the act or process of extrapolating
extrapolation noun
extrapolative adjective
extrapolator noun

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The Many Uses of Extrapolate

Scientists worry about the greenhouse effect because they have extrapolated the rate of carbon-dioxide buildup and predicted that its effect on the atmosphere will become increasingly severe. On the basis of their extrapolations, they have urged governments and businesses to limit factory and automobile emissions. Notice that it's acceptable to speak of extrapolating existing data (to produce new data), extrapolating from existing data (to produce new data), or extrapolating new data (from existing data)—in other words, it isn't easy to use this word wrong.

Examples of extrapolate in a Sentence

We can extrapolate the number of new students entering next year by looking at how many entered in previous years. With such a small study it is impossible to extrapolate accurately.
Recent Examples on the Web This data can’t (yet) be extrapolated to the general obese population. Joshua Cohen, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Limits and possibilities There are some limitations to how widely these findings, alone, can or should be extrapolated. Popular Science, 29 Feb. 2024 So estimates of the wounded from both sides are extrapolated from the number of dead, which already involves significant guesswork. Milana Mazaeva, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024 Microsoft stopped giving sales data about its Xbox years ago, but data extrapolated from Take-Two Interactive Software’s most recent earnings indicates the company has sold 27 million Xbox Series X and Series S to date. Chris Morris, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024 Findings in mice can’t always be extrapolated to humans, however. Alejandra Manjarrez, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2024 The finding, published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change, is startling, but some scientists say the study authors' conclusions extrapolated too much about global temperature than can be confidently gleaned from sea sponges. Evan Bush, NBC News, 5 Feb. 2024 And most of the treatments for male breast cancer are extrapolated from what the standard treatments are for women. Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 26 Jan. 2024 The researchers followed up in 2022 with a reconstructed 3D model, extrapolating the dimensions from a megalodon specimen (a vertebral column) in Belgium. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 22 Jan. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Latin extra outside + English -polate (as in interpolate) — more at extra-

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of extrapolate was in 1874

Dictionary Entries Near extrapolate

Cite this Entry

“Extrapolate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extrapolate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

extrapolate

verb
ex·​trap·​o·​late ik-ˈstrap-ə-ˌlāt How to pronounce extrapolate (audio)
extrapolated; extrapolating
: to work out unknown facts from known facts
extrapolation noun
extrapolator noun

More from Merriam-Webster on extrapolate

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