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
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as in equivalent
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of approximating
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
Today, Milan and Inter are closer and yet still years away from having something approximating it.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
For decades, physicists have attempted to do so by approximating the quantum field as a discrete lattice of points.
—Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Reminiscent of Polanski’s Repulsion in its nightmarish depiction of an unraveling mind, Vicious, which was initially slated for a theatrical release but is instead streaming on Paramount+, doesn’t come close to approximating its greatness.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2025
Today, Milan and Inter are closer and yet still years away from having something approximating it.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
For decades, physicists have attempted to do so by approximating the quantum field as a discrete lattice of points.
—Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for approximating
Verb
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Raducanu saw the man during her match against Karolína Muchová, approaching the chair umpire in tears during the second game.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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While fishing off the coast of Thailand, a group of fishermen noticed a massive underwater shadow approaching their boat.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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That's equivalent to the speed of more than 100 bricklayers working simultaneously.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Oct. 2025
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Showgirls‘ full final first-week consumption figure (equivalent album units, which includes pure sales, streams and track sales) and pure album sales figure are both still being tabulated by Luminate.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The brothers also confessed to mentally checking out at times while reflecting on the reality that their parents are no longer physically present.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
10 Oct. 2025
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Currently, researchers typically use 2D and animal models to study lung diseases like tuberculosis, but these are limited bynot accurately reflecting the shape and behavior of human lungs.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The notional $1,000- $2,000 tariff-revenue checks may be comparable in dollar amount to Biden’s stimulus checks, but Covid dollars and today’s dollars are much different due to the high inflation that’s occurred in recent years, outpacing wage growth.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
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By carefully analyzing the subtle interactions of these signals, the technology can generate a highly detailed and accurate representation of a person’s presence, posture, and movement that is comparable to a camera snapshot, but constructed entirely from radio waves.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Stratton, in arguably one of her best matches this year, was matching Vaquer blow for blow early on.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
11 Oct. 2025
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Made from a soft cotton blend, the sweatsuit includes an oversized hooded sweatshirt and matching sweatpants that can be worn together or as separates.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Cameron added that claims of political targeting overlook a basic point, which is that James’s own office has prosecuted nearly identical cases.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Oct. 2025
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In an almost identical look, Tessa Thompson’s London Film Festival look was all about dark polish, black, smudged eye-corners and peach lips.—
Essence,
Essence,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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One need only read the US State Department’s 2024 human rights report on China to realize that naming a Chinese official to a human rights advisory committee is analogous to putting a wolf in charge of a hen house.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
10 Oct. 2025
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At its core, the cloud is a model analogous to electricity, water, and other utilities; computing is a commodified service, generated at a remote location (in this case, a data center) and delivered through a network (here, the internet).—
Asad Ramzanali,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Jang says the research proves not all calories are created equal.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
12 Oct. 2025
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Preservation must stand alongside conservation as an equal force in the sustainability game.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Approximating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/approximating. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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