approximate: Meaning and Definition of

ap•prox•i•mate

Pronunciation: (adj.u-prok'su-mitv.u-prok'su-māt&sec), [key]
— adj., v., -mat•ed, -mat•ing.
—adj.
  1. near or approaching a certain state, condition, goal, or standard.
  2. nearly exact; not perfectly accurate or correct: The approximate time was 10 o'clock.
  3. near; close together.
  4. very similar; nearly identical.
—v.t.
  1. to come near to; approach closely to: to approximate an ideal.
  2. to estimate: We approximated the distance at three miles.
  3. to simulate; imitate closely: The motions of the stars can be approximated in a planetarium.
  4. to bring near.
—v.i.
  1. to come near in position, character, amount, etc.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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