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 approximately 2,000 attendees of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner had barely dug into their spring pea and burrata salad when a series of apparent gunshots rang out on the other side of the doors to the ballroom at the Washington Hilton. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026

Jacksonville High School was placed on lockdown for approximately 30 minutes Monday morning after a person was reported to have jumped the fence behind the school. —Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 27 Apr. 2026

Sid Schroff, a vice president of global manufacturing for the company, said within the next few years, the number of workers will climb to approximately 1,700 as more expansion is planned in the county. —Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026

Remediation work is underway on approximately 540 acres of soil and 750 acres still await remediation efforts. —Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 27 Apr. 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