estimate 1 of 2

Definition of estimatenext

estimate

2 of 2

noun

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 New York Times estimated the chances of where each of the 48 teams could play in each stage of the knockout round. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 2 June 2026 Officials estimated the fire caused $20,000 in damage. The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Sun, 2 June 2026
Noun
By Wall Street’s best estimates, the earliest Boeing could commit to a new greenfield plane is 2029 or 2030, with production coming around 2037. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 June 2026 That's why experts often recommend obtaining at least three to five loan estimates before choosing a lender. Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for estimate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for estimate
Verb
  • He’s being assessed for a calf strain.
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 28 May 2026
  • Farmers across South Jersey are assessing major crop losses after a devastating cold snap last month wiped out large portions of their fruit harvests.
    Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 28 May 2026
Verb
  • This is essentially a way to calculate the lowest rate that workers will accept, and the highest rate consumers will accept.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
  • Ask the vendor to show how a complex margin scenario is calculated, and what happens when the LLM produces an incorrect result.
    Raju Malhotra, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Noun
  • My own estimation of the movies will almost certainly have shifted, too, which means that the list that follows—a personal ranking of all twenty-two films in competition, from best to worst—will have to be considered a provisional exercise.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026
  • Tarasenko gladly did it, four times by Yurov’s estimation.
    Joe Smith, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Noun
  • Early assessments suggested the shaft dropped more than 100 meters (328 feet) into the cave, potentially leading to a chamber where the men could have sought refuge.
    Kocha Olarn, CNN Money, 1 June 2026
  • Residency programs are guided by a set of core competencies intended to standardize assessment across training environments.
    Vanessa Grubbs, STAT, 1 June 2026
Verb
  • The crowd skews more towards families with young children, multi-gen ski trips, and groups who value a spot by the fireplace more than being the first person on the gondola each morning.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
  • The following year, the sale of a stake in the club’s Barca Studios media arm — which the club originally valued at €1billion but is now officially worth much less — helped add Ilkay Gundogan to the squad.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Verb
  • Both her audition and her callback had fallen flat, but the company must have figured that casting an amateur from hard-luck Butte as Lucetta would make good press.
    Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
  • Rather than merely a stylish shot of Charli, the photograph by Aidan Zamiri figures musician John Cale, fashion designer Marc Jacobs, and film director Martin Scorsese, three men who in some capacity epitomize their respective fields.
    José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 1 June 2026
Noun
  • The company creates custom rings with diamonds, and guides customers through the entire shopping journey from initial conversations with gemologists, to the appraisals, down to the shipping.
    David Moin, Footwear News, 2 June 2026
  • In the future, the state commission also suggested that the city continue to use independent appraisals, which should be updated to set mooring permit rental rates.
    Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Noun
  • The upcoming at-sea demonstrations will therefore serve as one of the most important real-world evaluations yet of the Navy’s vision for a future fleet in which autonomous vessels operate alongside destroyers, submarines, aircraft, and carrier strike groups.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 June 2026
  • Mozilla said those findings came during an evaluation of the model's ability to help with security work.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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