as in upcoming
being soon to appear or take place
the approaching holiday has everyone in a state of excitement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in coming
to come near or nearer
the parade's approaching! I can hear the band playing!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nearing
to move closer to
approach the bull with caution
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in approximating
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of approaching
Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 14 Feb. 2026
The deadline to submit a claim form for a 23andMe settlement is fast approaching.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
In Maryland and New York, however, candidate filing deadlines are fast approaching, after which redrawing congressional maps would be nearly impossible.
—David M. Drucker, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2026
Texas' March primaries are right around the corner, which means the deadline to register to vote is fast approaching.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
The self-assessment tax deadline is fast approaching, but landlords and the self-employed will soon have new HMRC requirements to follow – known as Making Tax Digital.
—Marc Shoffman, TheWeek, 14 Jan. 2026
Otherwise, the Supreme Court’s effective deadline to add final cases for this term — which puts them on track for a decision by the summer — is fast approaching.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 12 Jan. 2026
Christmas is fast approaching, and Kylie is still nowhere to be found.
—Veronica Fulton, NBC news, 18 Dec. 2025
Christmas Day is fast approaching.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 18 Dec. 2025
Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
At one point, Woods tapped the back of his head, signaling that the seal was approaching.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
Even with Saturday’s deadline for filing candidate paperwork fast approaching, some are still undecided on whether to run.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Bourgeois commands a social media audience approaching six million followers, primarily through trainspotting content.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
This hot streak is approaching two months and a third of the season now.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Their window of opportunity only lasted the weekend — if the scientists didn’t secure the instruments by Monday, an approaching front of bad weather would prevent helicopters from extracting them, effectively stranding them for an indeterminate period of time.
—Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4, Futurism, 4 Feb. 2026
Their network is sprawling, often anonymous and with few overall objectives beyond helping immigrants, warning of approaching agents or filming videos to show the world what is happening.
—Tim Sullivan, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
When approaching them, be sure to be genuinely respectful and humble.
—Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
And that means the regular season is fast approaching.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 14 Feb. 2026
The deadline to submit a claim form for a 23andMe settlement is fast approaching.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
In Maryland and New York, however, candidate filing deadlines are fast approaching, after which redrawing congressional maps would be nearly impossible.
—David M. Drucker, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2026
Texas' March primaries are right around the corner, which means the deadline to register to vote is fast approaching.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
The self-assessment tax deadline is fast approaching, but landlords and the self-employed will soon have new HMRC requirements to follow – known as Making Tax Digital.
—Marc Shoffman, TheWeek, 14 Jan. 2026
Otherwise, the Supreme Court’s effective deadline to add final cases for this term — which puts them on track for a decision by the summer — is fast approaching.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 12 Jan. 2026
Christmas is fast approaching, and Kylie is still nowhere to be found.
—Veronica Fulton, NBC news, 18 Dec. 2025
Christmas Day is fast approaching.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 18 Dec. 2025
Verb
In the attack, suspects were identified approaching the yellow line in southern Khan Younis and were deemed a threat to the troops.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
At one point, Woods tapped the back of his head, signaling that the seal was approaching.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
Even with Saturday’s deadline for filing candidate paperwork fast approaching, some are still undecided on whether to run.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Bourgeois commands a social media audience approaching six million followers, primarily through trainspotting content.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
This hot streak is approaching two months and a third of the season now.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Their window of opportunity only lasted the weekend — if the scientists didn’t secure the instruments by Monday, an approaching front of bad weather would prevent helicopters from extracting them, effectively stranding them for an indeterminate period of time.
—Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4, Futurism, 4 Feb. 2026
Their network is sprawling, often anonymous and with few overall objectives beyond helping immigrants, warning of approaching agents or filming videos to show the world what is happening.
—Tim Sullivan, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
When approaching them, be sure to be genuinely respectful and humble.
—Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for approaching
Adjective
-
Boston is expected to see periods of snow and rain throughout the upcoming week, as highs remain well above freezing for the area, according to National Weather Service forecasts.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Named Issac 0, the company launched the autonomous robot as a prequel to their upcoming robot Issac, which will be released later this year.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
There are finally clues to sift through, and everyone hopes that answers are coming soon and that hopefully Nancy can be recovered alive and well.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Recruitment is expected to begin in coming weeks.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Kalshi similarly showed an astronomic leap in the Bulls’ odds to trade for Antetokounmpo, nearing +500 late Sunday.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
If your grits are nearing the end of their window, be sure to find ways to put this Southern specialty to use.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the others, researchers cranked up the heat in greenhouses, approximating the effects of global warming.—
Drew Kann,
AJC.com,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The ideal scenario would see Wiggins approximating what Horton did this year, but that was a unique case of elite talent aligning with opportunity and player development.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
McMillian is going to command top-scale money, if not in the form of an extension this offseason, then a year from now as an impending unrestricted free agent.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
15 Feb. 2026
-
If the acknowledgement from those in attendance wasn’t enough, Bubic punctuated his impending return — from a left rotator cuff strain — with a simple nod and wry smile.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Paramount has already increased its output from eight to 15 films since closing the Paramount Skydance transaction in August.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2026
-
For its part, WaterTower Theatre has produced the stage version of the landmark 1960s coming-of-age film and novella The Graduate (closing Sunday), written a quarter a century ago by British playwright and director Terry Johnson.—
Manuel Mendoza,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
After Clark stepped down on Tuesday because an internal investigation unearthed an inappropriate relationship with a staff member, the union announced on Wednesday that Meyer will take over on an interim basis entering a pivotal year for the future of the sport.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
But then, patients began entering his hospital under the custody of federal immigration agents.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Related Stories Taking the podium, Elstner, who was visibly moved, delivered a deeply personal speech reflecting on a 30-year journey between Germany and France.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Here, with Erivo embodying everyone from vampire to vampire hunter, doctor to madman, lover and suitor, there is a growing sense of connection between them all, particularly a well of unconscious desire that Dracula is reflecting, rather than merely exploiting.—
Demetrios Matheou,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Approaching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/approaching. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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