Synonyms of approaching

approaching 1 of 2

adjective

as in upcoming

being soon to appear or take place

the approaching holiday has everyone in a state of excitement

Synonyms & Similar Words

• upcoming
• coming
• impending
• nearing
• to come
• imminent
• oncoming
• forthcoming
• at hand
• on hand
• future
• proximate
• pending
• on tap
• anticipated
• predicted
• awaited
• expected
• foreseen

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recent
• late
• past
• other
• sometime
• old
• former
• foregone
• bygone
• erstwhile
• onetime
• whilom
• quondam

approaching

2 of 2

verb

present participle of approach

1

as in coming

to come near or nearer

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• coming
• closing
• nearing
• arriving
• reaching
• drawing on
• coming up
• closing in
• attaining
• hitting
• landing
• nighing
• bellying up
• gaining
• making
• bordering
• verging
• showing up
• turning up
• touching
• adjoining
• creeping up
• waltzing (up)
• sneaking up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• retreating
• withdrawing
• receding
• retiring
• backing (up or away)
• leaving
• going
• exiting
• removing
• departing
• quitting
• running away
• pulling out
• walking out
• taking off
• shoving (off)
• clearing out
• lighting out

2

as in nearing

to move closer to

approach the bull with caution

Synonyms & Similar Words

• coming
• nearing
• entering
• advancing
• nighing
• dropping in
• popping (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• going
• withdrawing
• retreating
• leaving
• departing
• receding (from)
• exiting

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

• approximating
• reflecting
• comparing (with)
• matching
• measuring up (to)
• stacking up (against or with)
• mirroring
• paralleling
• holding a candle to
• amounting (to)
• coming (to)
• adding up (to)
• duplicating
• equaling
• touching (on)
• bordering (on)
• verging (on)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of approaching

Adjective

So, with another knockout game fast approaching, will Messi step up if Argentina is awarded another spot kick? — Ben Church, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

For the Master Plan to be implemented, cities representing 80% of the population of the participating cities must approve the plan by the deadline of August 14, 2026, which is fast approaching. — Stephanie Pearson, Sun Sentinel, 8 July 2026

With fireworks season fast approaching, there's no better time than now to get your pet fast and reliable support before anxiety hits hardest. — Jessica Moore, USA Today, 29 June 2026

And June 30 is fast approaching. — Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 26 June 2026

Wetterberg's due date is fast approaching, and the mom-to-be celebrated her baby shower with some of her closest friends over the weekend. — Adam England, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026

In fact, most of them have deadlines that are fast approaching. — Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 22 June 2026

Summer House usually starts filming on the 4th of July, which is fast approaching. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 18 June 2026

Amazon Prime Day sale is fast approaching, but these early tech discounts have started the party early. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 18 June 2026

Verb

No player approaching 40 can press or attack with the same intensity throughout the whole match. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 15 July 2026

And with Acuña’s return approaching and some more help with the pitching staff, their injury look could turn the other way. — AJC.com, 15 July 2026

South Florida’s a top destination for America’s retirees, and that’s the chapter of his life James is approaching. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026

Video shows the shooting's aftermath Video from a nearby business' security camera obtained by the AP shows a white car slowly approaching an intersection before making several circles. — Arkansas Online, 14 July 2026

Funding conditions also are stabilizing and large pharmaceutical companies are approaching a wave of patent expirations that will likely force them to acquire new drugs and technologies, which could also boost stock values. — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 14 July 2026

One imagines Naipaul returning from Jonestown and San Francisco, shaping despair into limber, unforgettable sentences, approaching the absolute terror and humanity of his moment—and none of it mattered. — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026

Temperatures approaching triple digits in Southern California are set to combine with high humidity and rain chances, making for an unusually muggy week, according to meteorologists. — Austin Turner, CBS News, 13 July 2026

In the meantime, Uranus in Gemini will begin approaching a sextile to Neptune retrograde, which is low-key introducing a larger collective shift around our perception of possibility and progress. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026