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 motorcycles, believed to be valued at approximately $40 million, were found after officials executed multiple search warrants this month, the FBI's Los Angeles division said in social media posts. —Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 30 Dec. 2025

The earthquake's epicenter was located approximately 3 miles northeast of Cabazon and occurred at a depth of 8 miles. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 30 Dec. 2025

Its ReVolve battery energy storage product combines this cell-level control architecture with second-life battery packs, delivering up to a 30% longer battery lifetime while lowering electronics costs by approximately 30%, according to the company. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025

Mata-Rios is 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 195 pounds, according to police. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 29 Dec. 2025

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