approximately

adverb

ap·​prox·​i·​mate·​ly ə-ˈpräk-sə-mət-lē 

: in an approximate manner

an event in ancient history that can only be approximately dated

—used to indicate that a stated number, amount, or value is an approximation

Approximately [=around, about] 2,000 people attended the rally.

arrived at approximately 11:30 in the morning

During a lifetime, a person will take approximately 500 million breaths.

—Arthur S. Slutsky, M.D., et al.

Synonyms of approximately

• roughly
• about
• around

Examples of approximately in a Sentence

it takes approximately three hours to drive to Dallas

Recent Examples on the Web

On June 6, 1944, approximately 156,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. —David Hookstead Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2026

The epicenter was approximately 11 miles west-southwest of Johannesburg, at a depth of 4 miles. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 25 May 2026

Lightning hits the United States approximately 25 million times annually. —Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 May 2026

Seating and standing room-only capacity at Kansas’ Hoglund Ballpark will increase from 2,500 fans to approximately 4,000 for the regional. —Gary Bedore may 25, Kansas City Star, 25 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1742, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for approximately

• proximately

Kids Definition

approximately

adverb

ap·​prox·​i·​mate·​ly

-mət-lē

: reasonably close to

approximately 5 miles

at approximately six o'clock