as in equivalent
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as in approaching
to come near or nearer to in character or quality
Rob's violin performance last night didn't even approximate what he's really capable of when he's not feeling sick
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of approximating
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
Enlarging the circle improves accuracy by better approximating a true circle.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 25 May 2026
The band sounds a little like the Police approximating Weather Report, but Parker sounds much like the very guitarist who would join Tortoise and build the ETA IVTet—his tone incisive and notes restrained, his choices forever relating to the rhythm.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026
So, which games are best for approximating the challenges Artemis will face in settling the moon's surface?
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 22 Apr. 2026
During these tests, the platform demonstrated its ability to perform tasks in conditions approximating real combat scenarios.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
Only the handful of relegation-proof Premier League clubs have anything approximating US sport franchise valuations, because everyone else’s value could evaporate as a result of a bad season or two.
—Andrés Martinez, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
In the field of cosmology, approximating dark energy with a cosmological constant has been remarkably successful since its presence was first revealed in the late 1990s.
—Big Think, 1 Apr. 2026
The authors suggest that the Democratic preference, approximating a more native pronunciation, was motivated by greater multicultural sensitivity.
—Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
The National Football League, for all its flaws, understands the commercial necessity of approximating fairness.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
Enlarging the circle improves accuracy by better approximating a true circle.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 25 May 2026
The band sounds a little like the Police approximating Weather Report, but Parker sounds much like the very guitarist who would join Tortoise and build the ETA IVTet—his tone incisive and notes restrained, his choices forever relating to the rhythm.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026
So, which games are best for approximating the challenges Artemis will face in settling the moon's surface?
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 22 Apr. 2026
During these tests, the platform demonstrated its ability to perform tasks in conditions approximating real combat scenarios.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
Only the handful of relegation-proof Premier League clubs have anything approximating US sport franchise valuations, because everyone else’s value could evaporate as a result of a bad season or two.
—Andrés Martinez, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
In the field of cosmology, approximating dark energy with a cosmological constant has been remarkably successful since its presence was first revealed in the late 1990s.
—Big Think, 1 Apr. 2026
The authors suggest that the Democratic preference, approximating a more native pronunciation, was motivated by greater multicultural sensitivity.
—Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for approximating
Adjective
-
Using tax hikes or equivalent benefit cuts to shore up the trust fund and allocating 40% of it to stocks would keep it solvent indefinitely in most simulations—avoiding even steeper taxes or cuts in the future.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
14 June 2026
-
Beauty, then, arises from the pain and struggle of experiencing oneself as a site of divine truancy, and ugly is that which pretends to be directly equivalent to the soul, God, etc.—
Esther Yi,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
With the Fourth of July approaching, officials are urging pet owners to take extra precautions.—
Jasmine Arenas,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
That’s because with the first 2026 FIFA World Cup game in Miami approaching, FIFA prohibits stadiums from being named for companies that aren’t official FIFA sponsors.—
Tyler Carmona,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
McGeady’s career was not, in the nicest possible way, comparable to Ronaldinho, but the two-touch spin became his trademark and will be familiar to gamers, as well as to Celtic, Spartak Moscow, Everton and Sunderland fans.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
Sources interviewed for this story said that broadly speaking, prices remain high for contemporary works, despite the fact that comparable works can often be found for considerably less at auction.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Since launch, daily watch time per viewer on Tadka has grown fivefold, reflecting sustained engagement with the format.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
11 June 2026
-
Memorials, a museum and reflecting pools stand on the precise site where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Lone Star provided data from the Texas Department of Public Safety, which shows the rate of change from 2023 to 2025 for homicide, drug, and assault for youth between the ages of 10 and 16, where Tarrant County and Texas are nearly identical.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Dec. 2025
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That process will produce gas that is nearly chemically identical to the natural gas that comes from fossil fuels.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Lead drama actor holds essentially steady at 78, nearly matching last year’s 77, when 134 names crowded the ballot.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
12 June 2026
-
The trio wore matching blue T-shirts emblazoned with orange messages.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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The process might be analogous to how amino acids spontaneously formed simple organic molecules roughly 4 billion years ago.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
27 July 2025
-
The war between Russia and Ukraine is not perfectly analogous to contingencies that the United States may face in the future, and not every lesson in Ukraine is applicable to U.S. military planning, but this war is nonetheless full of instructive technological innovations and breakthroughs.—
JON FINER,
Foreign Affairs,
7 July 2025
Adjective
-
In 1986, eager to shift the burden away from taxpayers, Congress mandated that new presidential libraries raise an endowment equal to 20% of the cost, for future maintenance.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
-
Instead, fill a spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and warm water and after blotting the stain dry, spray the solution onto the affected area.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Approximating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/approximating. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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