approximately

adverb

ap·​prox·​i·​mate·​ly ə-ˈpräk-sə-mət-lē 

: in an approximate manner

an event in ancient history that can only be approximately dated

—used to indicate that a stated number, amount, or value is an approximation

Approximately [=around, about] 2,000 people attended the rally.

arrived at approximately 11:30 in the morning

During a lifetime, a person will take approximately 500 million breaths.

—Arthur S. Slutsky, M.D., et al.

Synonyms

• about
• around
• like
• more or less
• much
• near
• plus or minus
• roughly
• say
• some

Examples of approximately in a Sentence

it takes approximately three hours to drive to Dallas

Recent Examples on the Web

In one eight-hour period, there were approximately 250 earthquakes beneath Kilauea's summit region, according to the observatory. —Alex Sundby, CBS News, 4 June 2024

As of April, there were approximately 400 Kenyans who had been vetted and approved for the mission, along with about 250 Jamaicans. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 June 2024

On Tuesday, the forecast shows a high temperature near 102 and a low of approximately 71 degrees. —Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 3 June 2024

Lightning hits the United States approximately 25 million times annually. —Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1742, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

approximately

adverb

ap·​prox·​i·​mate·​ly

-mət-lē

: reasonably close to

approximately 5 miles

at approximately six o'clock