estimate

verb

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es·ti·mate | \ ˈe-stə-ˌmāt

estimated; estimating

Definition of estimate

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to judge tentatively or approximately the value, worth, or significance of

b : to determine roughly the size, extent, or nature of

c : to produce a statement of the approximate cost of

2 : judge, conclude

3 archaic

a : esteem

b : appraise

estimate

noun

es·ti·mate | \ ˈe-stə-mət

Definition of estimate (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : a rough or approximate calculation

b : a numerical value obtained from a statistical sample and assigned to a population parameter

2 : a statement of the cost of work to be done

3 : an opinion or judgment of the nature, character, or quality of a person or thing had a high estimate of his abilities

4 : the act of appraising or valuing : calculation

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Choose the Right Synonym for estimate

Verb

estimate, appraise, evaluate, value, rate, assess mean to judge something with respect to its worth or significance. estimate implies a judgment, considered or casual, that precedes or takes the place of actual measuring or counting or testing out. estimated the crowd at two hundred appraise commonly implies the fixing by an expert of the monetary worth of a thing, but it may be used of any critical judgment. having their house appraised evaluate suggests an attempt to determine relative or intrinsic worth in terms other than monetary. evaluate a student's work value equals appraise but without implying expertness of judgment. a watercolor valued by the donor at $500 rate adds to estimate the notion of placing a thing according to a scale of values. a highly rated restaurant assess implies a critical appraisal for the purpose of understanding or interpreting, or as a guide in taking action. officials are trying to assess the damage

Examples of estimate in a Sentence

Verb They estimated the distance at about three miles. We need to estimate how much paint we'll need for the job. The cost of the project has been estimated at about 10 million dollars. He estimates that current oil reserves are 20 percent lower than they were a year ago. Noun According to government estimates, current oil reserves are 10 percent lower than they were a year ago. One conservative estimate is that he stole five million dollars. We solicited several estimates for the project. The contractor's estimate for the job seemed high. The company's products are, by general estimate, poorly made.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Immigration experts estimate that tens of thousands of people had applied for DACA before last week -- but the majority of new enrollees were still waiting for approval amid a backlog that accumulated during the coronavirus pandemic. — Nicole Chavez, CNN, 20 July 2021 Although, experts estimate the number is significantly higher. — Naledi Ushe, PEOPLE.com, 14 July 2021 Experts estimate the payments will cut child poverty by nearly half, an achievement with no precedent. — The New York Times, Arkansas Online, 14 July 2021 Experts estimate the payments will cut child poverty by nearly half, an achievement with no precedent. — New York Times, 12 July 2021 Some experts conservatively estimate that hackers received $412 million in ransom payments last year. — Washington Post, 9 July 2021 Experts estimate that since 2018 as many as 300 million pigs, the equivalent of 25% of the global hog population, have died or were culled in China owing to ASF outbreaks. — Fortune, 3 July 2021 Some experts estimate that more than 4,000 children died at the schools, often from a combination of poor living conditions and disease, per the 2015 report. — Nora Mcgreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 June 2021 Experts estimate that the world's population could be too big to feed by 2050 if global food systems are not transformed. — Raviv Itzhaky, Forbes, 24 June 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun That includes about $590 billion worth of exposure in Hong Kong, $330 billion in the United States, and $135 billion in mainland China, according to a recent estimate by Goldman Sachs. — Laura He, CNN, 22 July 2021 More than 9 million square feet of additional sublease office space was also on the market, according to the latest estimate by commercial property firm Transwestern. — Steve Brown, Dallas News, 9 July 2021 The point, in a region increasingly numb to tent cities, was to avoid at least some of the violence that plagues up to 92% of homeless women, according to one estimate by the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence. — Lauren Hepler, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 July 2021 Some 30 people lost their jobs in a town where more than a third of the population lives below the poverty line, according to an estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau. — Desmond Butler, Star Tribune, 29 June 2021 According to a June 3 estimate by the advocacy group Oil Change International, G7 countries collectively spent an average of $86 billion annually between 2017-19 on fossil fuels, four times their spending on clean energy. — Tim Mcdonnell, Quartz, 10 June 2021 Digital mental health has become a multibillion-dollar industry and includes more than 10,000 apps, according to an estimate by the American Psychiatric Association. — New York Times, 1 June 2021 About 65% of the world’s Bitcoin mining took place in China as of April 2020, according to an estimate by the University of Cambridge. — Fortune, 26 May 2021 In 2020, 113 federal, state, and local governments and agencies reported they had been struck, costing about $915 million, according to an estimate by Emsisoft, a cybersecurity company. — BostonGlobe.com, 12 May 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'estimate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.