approximately

adverb

ap·​prox·​i·​mate·​ly ə-ˈpräk-sə-mət-lē How to pronounce approximately (audio)
: 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.

Examples of approximately in a Sentence

it takes approximately three hours to drive to Dallas
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In an update posted on SpaceX's website later Thursday evening, officials said ground teams lost contact with the spacecraft approximately eight and a half minutes into the flight. Ars Technica, 17 Jan. 2025 Over the past five years, the Weeknd has donated approximately $10 million to charitable causes, ranging from COVID-19 relief and Black Lives Matter to relief from the 2020 harbor explosion in Beirut, Lebanon to nearly $5 million in emergency humanitarian aid in Gaza, among many other efforts. Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 17 Jan. 2025 Its length of approximately 5.6 million miles (9 million kilometers) encircles over half the planet’s orbit around the star every 30 and a half hours. Robert Lea, Space.com, 17 Jan. 2025 Based on this information and Russian military bloggers' statements that North Korean soldiers began engaging in more significant combat operations last month, the ISW theorized that DPRK forces have suffered approximately 92 casualties per day since December. Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for approximately 

Word History

First Known Use

1742, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of approximately was in 1742

Dictionary Entries Near approximately

Cite this Entry

“Approximately.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/approximately. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

approximately

adverb
ap·​prox·​i·​mate·​ly
-mət-lē
: reasonably close to
approximately 5 miles
at approximately six o'clock

More from Merriam-Webster on approximately

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!