proximate

adjective

prox·​i·​mate ˈpräk-sə-mət How to pronounce proximate (audio)
1
: immediately preceding or following (as in a chain of events, causes, or effects)
proximate, rather than ultimate, goalsReinhold Niebuhr
2
a
: very near : close
b
: soon forthcoming : imminent
proximately adverb
proximateness noun

Did you know?

If you’d like to approach a better understanding of proximate, and an approximation of its history, pull up a chair and get cozy with the history of its etymological proximity to other English words. Proximate comes ultimately from the Latin adjective prope, meaning "near," a source too of approach, reproach, and propinquity. Other close relations of proximate are easier to spot: they include proximity, approximation and approximate.

Examples of proximate in a Sentence

the proximate cause of the fire the proximate publication of his first novel
Recent Examples on the Web My parents were too poor to buy houses that were proximate to where the good schools were. Fortune Editors, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2023 There is just muffled breathing and the soft, warm, proximate presence of another … Over a 70-year career, Freud concerned himself almost exclusively with getting paint to convey the living weight and mortal gorgeousness of the human body and of other things close at hand, living and dead. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2022 The bar is also proximate to show business haunt La Poubelle and improv theater Upright Citizens Brigade. Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 Mar. 2023 Scholarly theories of modes of inquiry are often totally inappropriate for proximate political policy discussions. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 29 Dec. 2011 Indebtedness is a major and proximate cause of farmer suicides in India. Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 9 May 2012 Despite the geographic distance, these nurses are proximate in their demands: that their facilities address serious shortages of health care workers, including by providing higher wages. Time, 11 Jan. 2023 And the proximate meteorological causes of this event are clear. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 13 Sep. 2013 Was there any thematic reason for having the characters be so physically proximate to each other? Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'proximate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin proximatus, past participle of proximare to approach, from proximus nearest, next, superlative of prope near — more at approach

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of proximate was in 1661

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Dictionary Entries Near proximate

Cite this Entry

“Proximate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proximate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

proximate

adjective
prox·​i·​mate ˈpräk-sə-mət How to pronounce proximate (audio)
1
a
: very near
b
: next, preceding, or following
especially : relating to or being a proximate cause
2
: determined by proximate analysis
3
proximately adverb

Legal Definition

proximate

adjective
prox·​i·​mate ˈpräk-sə-mət How to pronounce proximate (audio)
1
: next immediately preceding or following (as in a chain of causation, events, or effects) : being or leading to a particular especially foreseeable result without intervention see also proximate cause at cause sense 1
2
: very or relatively close or near
would be sufficiently proximate to the commencement of the defendant's trialJohnson v. New Jersey, 384 U.S. 719 (1966)
proximately adverb

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