Definition of estimatenext

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb estimate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of estimate are appraise, assess, evaluate, rate, and value. While all these words mean "to judge something with respect to its worth or significance," estimate implies a judgment, considered or casual, that precedes or takes the place of actual measuring or counting or testing out.

estimated the crowd at two hundred

Where would appraise be a reasonable alternative to estimate?

The words appraise and estimate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, appraise commonly implies the fixing by an expert of the monetary worth of a thing, but it may be used of any critical judgment.

having their house appraised

When can assess be used instead of estimate?

While the synonyms assess and estimate are close in meaning, assess implies a critical appraisal for the purpose of understanding or interpreting, or as a guide in taking action.

officials are trying to assess the damage

When might evaluate be a better fit than estimate?

While in some cases nearly identical to estimate, evaluate suggests an attempt to determine relative or intrinsic worth in terms other than monetary.

evaluate a student's work

How are the words rate and estimate related?

Rate adds to estimate the notion of placing a thing according to a scale of values.

a highly rated restaurant

How do value and appraise relate to one another, in the sense of estimate?

Value equals appraise but without implying expertness of judgment.

a watercolor valued by the donor at $500

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 estimate
Verb
The Red Cross estimates that an additional three donors per blood drive this summer would stabilize the blood supply. Eva Flowe july 30, Charlotte Observer, 30 July 2026 The Congressional Budget Office in 2022 estimated that the tribe could increase IHS spending by $247 million over four years. Andrew Jones, NPR, 30 July 2026
Noun
Be sure to give the full picture of everything on your plate, along with realistic estimates of how long projects will take. Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 Authorities have not said how many remain missing, though estimates put the figure in the tens of thousands. ABC News, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for estimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for estimate
Verb
  • City documents say the department is assessing tripled fees for both structural and grading work done without authorization.
    Zuri Primos July 27, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026
  • This has significance for assessing LLMs and determining their impacts.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Verb
  • Instead, meteorologists divide the atmosphere into big boxes — a 3D grid — and calculate how each box changes on average over time.
    Matt von Hippel, Quanta Magazine, 29 July 2026
  • Child Care Aware of America calculated the national average annual child care price of $13,128 in 2024, or 35% of the median income of a single-parent household.
    Kristin Vance Richards, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Noun
  • In Kirke’s estimation, apparel shouldn’t be caught up in the maelstrom brewing between Washington and Ottowa over exports like steel, automotives, dairy or alcohol.
    Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 21 July 2026
  • No commissioner is ever all that popular, but Manfred has enjoyed a bit of a glow-up in fan estimation recently.
    Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
Noun
  • Questions involving fairness, accountability, values or meaning cannot be handed over to technology without changing the nature of the decision itself – from one of human judgment to algorithmic assessment.
    Pooya Tabesh, The Conversation, 30 July 2026
  • Torrez's office alleges that CYFD didn't conduct proper risk assessments of the child's mother and instructed a minor to cross an international border on foot without an adult.
    MIKELLA SCHUETTLER, ABC News, 30 July 2026
Verb
  • The plan to consolidate FIFA’s commercial and event operations into a new commercial subsidiary valued at $20 billion is off the table, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
    Dennis Romero, NBC news, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Stanek has spent enough time around the league to understand why contenders value experienced bullpen arms on short-term contracts and the Cardinals might have originally picked him up with the hopes of moving him at this point.
    Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Apparently the voters figured once was enough; Price never actually got another Hart vote in his career after that 2015 run.
    Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 30 July 2026
  • There's no exact cause known for the rise in cancers among young people, according to UChicago Medicine, but researchers are trying to figure it out.
    Rachel Hale, USA Today, 29 July 2026
Noun
  • Some information can be gleaned from such appraisals, like what shape the recovered debris is in, what degree of temperatures they were exposed to.
    Leonard David, Space.com, 22 July 2026
  • Many measures, such as those in Louisiana, have yet to receive cost appraisals but are still projected to curb local government revenue streams.
    Paxton Honerkamp, CNBC, 21 July 2026
Noun
  • Medics took the child to a hospital for evaluation as a precaution.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 30 July 2026
  • Personnel from the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) observed the drills using a new rapid evaluation process.
    Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 29 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Estimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/estimate. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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