approximating 1 of 2

approximating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of approximate
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of approximating
Verb
Whether any variant of such consciousness, approximating that of humans, can be achieved with a nonbiological foundation is assumed but remains to be seen. — Keith Tidman, Baltimore Sun, 24 Sep. 2026 At this point in the news cycle, unity, or at least something approximating it, needs to be the chief league objective. — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The show imagines communities centered on the Mississippi River, which flows through Minneapolis, and the installation echoes a riverbed, with platforms approximating islands. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Execution reflects strategy consistently, rather than approximating it. — Don Dodds, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Uncanny too were the dusty pinks, approximating Penn’s beloved, nearly transparent poppies. — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 June 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for approximating
Adjective
  • Fox News earlier reported the new reductions, which could include any one-star general or above or officer of equivalent Navy rank.
    — Konstantin Toropin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The reason is unlikely a lack of data, because last year’s equivalent release, which came more than a week closer to the conclusion of the tournament, included them.
    — Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Investigators found blood near the front entrance, and surveillance footage released by the FBI showed a masked person approaching the property and interfering with a security camera.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Wilson received a technical foul after leaving the court and approaching the spectator during the fourth quarter of Indiana’s 99-89 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Tickets cost less than $1, while comparable performances elsewhere can cost as much as $300.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • According to Abramson, the pulses are basically imperceptible, comparable to what a pacemaker sends to the heart.
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In recent years, Nike has lost major athletes Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane, and Ousmane Dembélé to competitor brands, reflecting its waning dominance in the performance sportswear market.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But the numbers show that vouchers and charters schools are attracting a larger share of students each year, reflecting the popularity of school choice with Florida families.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • The world has gone through quite a few changes in the 62 years since those frenzied nights at the height of Beatlemania, but the interior of Forest Hills Stadium looks largely identical.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Two companies with identical revenue can be in completely different positions.
    — Shweta Gummidipudi, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • That came up 10, 20, 27, 28, 33, matching a free Quick Pick ticket out of the machine at Fresco Y Mas, 8855 Coral Way aka SW 24th St.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The display’s color coverage is above average, on par with the outgoing model and close to matching the iMac's range.
    — Michael Justin Allen Sexton, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • But the less strictly technical procedure Serra describes is analogous to operations at stake in Jonas’s own work, implying that the act of measurement by walking and seeing is tacitly existential.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The senator said the Food and Drug Administration's model of pharmaceutical regulation is analogous to the AI debate.
    — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The result is a diverse take on itameshi — think mentaiko spaghetti, sansho-spiked cacio e pepe, panko Milanese and yuzu spritzes — served with equal parts Italian dolce vita and Japanese hospitality.
    — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • His lawyers say the evidence instead showed Rivera, Nuhfer and their associates operating as equal partners, with payments divided equally and participants consulting one another rather than Rivera directing them.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Approximating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/approximating. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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