Cambridge Dictionaries online Cambridge Dictionaries online

The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English

  

approximate

verb [I + adv/prep, T]
 
 
/əˈprɒk.sɪ.meɪt/ US  /-ˈprɑːk-/ formal

Definition

to be almost the same as: The newspaper reports of the discussion only roughly approximated to (= were not exactly the same as) what was actually said. Student numbers this year are expected to approximate 5,000 (= to be about 5,000).Guessing, supposing and suspecting
(Definition of approximate verb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
Focus on the pronunciation of approximate