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

• roughly
• about
• around

Examples of approximately in a Sentence

it takes approximately three hours to drive to Dallas

Recent Examples on the Web

The shooting, which occurred in the city approximately 60 miles northwest of Detroit, happened during a Sunday service attended by hundreds of people, according to the BBC. —Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025

The earthquake struck at a depth of 4 miles, with its epicenter approximately 9 miles west of Johannesburg. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025

This area is approximately 6 miles and 82 feet in elevation. —Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025

Starbucks plans to close approximately 1% of its stores nationwide in the coming months. —Endia Fontanez, AZCentral.com, 29 Sep. 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