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 earthquake's epicenter was approximately 7 miles east-southeast of Gilroy and occurred at a depth of 3 miles. — Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 27 July 2026

In the first three months of this year CXMT accounted for approximately 9% of global shipments. — ABC News, 27 July 2026

Replacing roughly 10 percent of his barrel stock annually and keeping barrels in service for about eight years, his average barrel age is approximately five years. — Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 26 July 2026

According to the International Energy Agency, investment in renewable power projects is expected to total around $665 billion in 2026, with approximately $365 billion going towards solar alone. — Indrabati Lahiri, Forbes.com, 26 July 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