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 country's population of adult citizens is approximately 248 million. — Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026

Each interceptor reportedly costs approximately $2,500 to build, according to the company. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026

The restricted area covers approximately 6% of Lebanon's territory, reviving memories of Israel's 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended in 2000. — Diego Ibarra Sánchez, NPR, 19 Sep. 2026

The event brought approximately 300 LGBTQ+ journalists from print and broadcast together in the name of civic service. — Kat Tran, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 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