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

More telling is the active user base: approximately 16,517 addresses create new tokens each day, suggesting a highly engaged community of creators and traders. —Boaz Sobrado, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025

Three executioners will fire from behind a small opening, positioned approximately 15 feet away. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025

The width of the spot is greater than 6 centimeters (approximately the size of a pencil eraser), although melanoma could be diagnosed at smaller sizes. —Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025

In Missouri, school districts must provide 1,044 hours of instruction, or approximately 166 days per year, with a cap of 36 virtual learning hours per year and 10 weather makeup days. —Taylor O’Connor, Kansas City Star, 22 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1742, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for approximately

• proximately

Kids Definition

approximately

adverb

ap·​prox·​i·​mate·​ly

-mət-lē

: reasonably close to

approximately 5 miles

at approximately six o'clock