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

As such, approximately 32 million are expected to travel to the Vatican this year as part of a pilgrimage in honor of jubilee. —Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 10 Feb. 2025

The last to cross the block was a black 1989 example, chassis No. 10, with approximately 32,300 miles on it. —Howard Walker, Robb Report, 10 Feb. 2025

The right field line is approximately the goal line in the south end zone, while the left field line goes along the Stanford football team’s sideline out to roughly midfield. —Harold Gutmann, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2025

Despite economic pressures, Americans aren’t completely giving up on romance, with total Valentine’s Day spending projected to hit $27.5 billion this year – that’s approximately $188.81 per person for those keeping count. —Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 9 Feb. 2025

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