extrapolate

verb

ex·​trap·​o·​late ik-ˈstra-pə-ˌlāt 

extrapolated; extrapolating

transitive verb

1

a

: to predict by projecting past experience or known data

Party officials extrapolated public sentiment on one issue from known public reaction on others.

b

: to project, extend, or expand (known data or experience) into an area not known or experienced so as to arrive at a usually conjectural knowledge of the unknown area

Researchers extrapolate present trends to construct an image of the future.

2

: to infer (values of a variable in an unobserved interval) from values within an already observed interval

intransitive verb

: to perform the act or process of extrapolating

extrapolation

ik-ˌstra-pə-ˈlā-shən 

noun

extrapolative

ik-ˈstra-pə-ˌlā-tiv 

adjective

extrapolator

ik-ˈstra-pə-ˌlā-tər 

noun

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The Many Uses of Extrapolate

Scientists worry about the greenhouse effect because they have extrapolated the rate of carbon-dioxide buildup and predicted that its effect on the atmosphere will become increasingly severe. On the basis of their extrapolations, they have urged governments and businesses to limit factory and automobile emissions. Notice that it's acceptable to speak of extrapolating existing data (to produce new data), extrapolating from existing data (to produce new data), or extrapolating new data (from existing data)—in other words, it isn't easy to use this word wrong.

Synonyms of extrapolate

• derive
• understand
• decide
• infer

Examples of extrapolate in a Sentence

We can extrapolate the number of new students entering next year by looking at how many entered in previous years.

With such a small study it is impossible to extrapolate accurately.

Recent Examples on the Web

The tech sector of the S&P 500 has seen its forward price/earnings multiple contract from 29 to 21 in the past year with the market unwilling to extrapolate the profit surge in the absence of a clear path back to reaping oodles of free cash flow. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026

NBCUniversal doesn’t break out streaming ratings, but extrapolating the data suggests that around 500,000 people watched the Emmys on Peacock. — Peter White, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2026

The fact that those stories are often colored towards what otherwise seems like a father-son dynamic was interesting to extrapolate. — Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026

The company will select equipment that will allow for pilot data to be extrapolated to industrial scale. — Cleo Levin, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin extra outside + English -polate (as in interpolate) — more at extra-

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Rhymes for extrapolate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

extrapolate

verb

ex·​trap·​o·​late ik-ˈstrap-ə-ˌlāt 

extrapolated; extrapolating

: to work out unknown facts from known facts

extrapolation

-ˌstrap-ə-ˈlā-shən 

noun

extrapolator

-ˈstrap-ə-ˌlāt-ər 

noun