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

• about
• around
• like
• more or less
• much
• near
• plus or minus
• roughly
• say
• some

Examples of approximately in a Sentence

it takes approximately three hours to drive to Dallas

Recent Examples on the Web

The body of the victim — who has been identified as Luis Silva Mendez, according to court documents seen by PEOPLE — was discovered at approximately 11 a.m. local time by a man Eberly had hired to move furniture at the home, NBC affiliate KPRC reported. —Toria Sheffield, People.com, 17 May 2025

Lightning hits the United States approximately 25 million times annually. —Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 17 May 2025

Now 68 and retired, Nelson has lived in a subsidized one-bedroom unit for about 10 years in Uptown and relies on her roughly $1,000 monthly Social Security payments to afford her approximately $230 monthly portion of rent and other expenses. —Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2025

Under bright blue skies, visitors toured the reproduction gallows near Building No. 2, also known as death row, which stands approximately 200 feet from the original gallows’ warehouse location. —Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 17 May 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