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

The existing method requires the acidity of the solution to be substantially reduced before the extraction can take place, and that adjustment can take approximately a week. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 10 Aug. 2026

Business owners have until October to relocate, and Butts said that construction will begin approximately six months later. — Lauren Pozen, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026

The pair’s last ride was in July 2022, approximately two months before the monarch’s death. — Audrey Schmidt, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026

Rebuild Illinois created or preserved approximately 39,200 jobs annually. — Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 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