verb · academic
approximate
UK/əˈprɒksɪmeɪt/US/əˈprɑːksɪmeɪt/ap·PROX·i·mate
to calculate or state a value that is close to, but not exactly, the true amount
Examples
“The researchers approximated the population size from sample data.”
“You can approximate the cost if you don't have exact figures.”
“In Task 1 it is acceptable to use approximate percentages.”
Band 8 sentence
“We can only approximate the total number of species in the area from the samples we collected, so any claim of completeness would be premature.”
Collocations
- approximate number
- approximately equal to
- approximate the value/cost
Word family
Common mistakes
approximate 10 people→approximately 10 people
to approximate to the number→to approximate the number to / to be approximately
Say it for a higher band
5near→6roughly→7+approximate
Synonyms
estimate
Easily confused
estimate
“They estimate the repair will cost around $2,000.”
Related words
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In Sublist 4
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