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 aircraft has an endurance of more than 30 hours, depending on its configuration and mission profile, and can achieve a maximum speed of approximately 210 knots. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026

Functional connectivity in the fetal brain develops substantially later in gestation, with measurable differences in brain activity and facial responses to noxious versus innocuous stimulation appearing at approximately 33 weeks. — Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

About a tenth of the approximately 2,400 patients who come to Catalina Island Health’s five-bed emergency room need to go to the mainland for a higher level of care. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

The earthquake's epicenter was approximately 6 miles west-southwest of South Lake Tahoe and occurred at a depth of 4 miles. — Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 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