Synonyms of approach

approach 1 of 2

noun

1

as in route

an established course for traveling from one place to another

will take the standard landing approach from the south

Synonyms & Similar Words

• route
• path
• way
• road
• avenue
• highway
• passage
• artery
• walk
• trail
• track
• roadway
• street
• bypass
• lane
• thoroughfare
• pass
• drive
• passageway
• walkway
• boulevard
• pike
• expressway
• freeway
• row
• turnpike
• bypath
• routeway
• byway
• channel
• high road
• airway
• laneway
• door
• portal
• gate
• doorway
• waterway
• trace
• gateway
• hatch
• watercourse
• cycleway
• bikeway
• gat

2

as in method

the means or procedure for doing something

that's a different approach to knitting, but it seems to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• method
• strategy
• methodology
• way
• technique
• manner
• system
• tactics
• style
• how
• recipe
• plan
• process
• fashion
• form
• tack
• model
• mode
• route
• program
• policy
• scheme
• design
• practice
• layout
• step
• blueprint
• shift
• move
• game
• routine
• plot
• modus operandi
• game plan
• line
• ground plan
• expedient
• intrigue

approach

2 of 2

verb

ə-ˈprōch 

1

as in to come

to come near or nearer

the parade's approaching! I can hear the band playing!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• come
• close
• come up
• draw on
• near
• close in
• reach
• arrive
• belly up
• attain
• land
• nigh
• turn up
• hit
• show up
• gain
• sneak up
• touch
• make
• creep up
• border
• verge
• waltz (up)
• adjoin

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• retreat
• withdraw
• retire
• recede
• back (up or away)
• go
• remove
• leave
• run away
• walk out
• exit
• pull out
• clear out
• take off
• depart
• quit
• shove (off)
• light out

2

as in to enter

to move closer to

approach the bull with caution

Synonyms & Similar Words

• come
• enter
• near
• advance
• drop in
• nigh
• pop (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• go
• withdraw
• retreat
• leave
• recede (from)
• depart
• exit

3

as in to approximate

to come near or nearer to in character or quality

his store-bought dessert doesn't even approach your homemade version of it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• approximate
• compare (with)
• measure up (to)
• reflect
• match
• stack up (against or with)
• parallel
• hold a candle to
• mirror
• amount (to)
• come (to)
• add up (to)
• touch (on)
• duplicate
• equal
• verge (on)
• border (on)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of approach

Noun

Hume adopts a vérité approach that largely lets Feldman speak for himself — there’s no editorializing, and there doesn’t really need to be given that Feldman’s life and personality are so dramatic that a straightforward presentation of the facts is plenty wild. —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026

That uncertainty is why regulators rely on a cautious approach like the LNT model, and also why some people question its use. —Katy Huff, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026

Verb

The potential design traps in a place like Hawaii are often hard to avoid–the bright hibiscus prints, the surf photos; decor can approach kitsch in the blink of an eye. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026

The suspect briefly tried to enter the police vehicle, then fled on foot before he was shot and killed seconds later by approaching officers. —Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026