approximately

adverb

ap·​prox·​i·​mate·​ly ə-ˈpräk-sə-mət-lē How to pronounce approximately (audio)
: 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.

Examples of approximately in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web According to the Prince William County Police Department, officers responded to a home in Lake Ridge, Virginia on Thursday, March 21 at approximately 8:50 p.m. after concerned family members said that 30-year-old Taty’ana Zakiyyah was missing. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 24 Mar. 2024 This announcement came at approximately 9:00 p.m. local time on Friday (March 22), just before Dutch producer Hardwell was scheduled to play the festival’s main stage. Katie Bain, Billboard, 23 Mar. 2024 Higgins estimated the plane flew approximately 100 feet above. Kara Nelson, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024 Drawings are held three times per week at approximately 10:59 p.m. ET every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Evan Frank, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Mar. 2024 About a third of Metrobus trips and 13 percent of Metrorail trips go unpaid, according to a Metro analysis last year, culminating in an approximately $40 million a year loss, or two percent of its annual operating budget. Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 Between 2001 and 2018, hotter temperatures caused approximately 360,000 additional workplace injuries in California, or roughly 20,000 per year — a figure at least 19 times the annual number shown in workers’ compensation records, the study says. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024 Under his tenure, Lomax awards approximately 10,000 scholarships each year in addition to overseeing more than 400 UNCF scholarship programs. Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 22 Mar. 2024 The Company ended the year with approximately $9.0 million of cash. Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1742, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of approximately was in 1742

Dictionary Entries Near approximately

Cite this Entry

“Approximately.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/approximately. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

approximately

adverb
ap·​prox·​i·​mate·​ly
-mət-lē
: reasonably close to
approximately 5 miles
at approximately six o'clock

More from Merriam-Webster on approximately

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!