adjective, verb · neutral
approximate
UK/əˈprɒksɪmət/US/əˈprɑːksəmət/a·PROX·i·mate
Band 5-6speakingtask1task2
not exact but close in amount, time, or distance
Examples
“The approximate number of attendees was 120.”
“Engineers approximated the stress levels in the beam.”
“The approximate cost of the project is $2 million.”
Band 8 sentence
“Estimates suggest that the project will cost approximately three million dollars, although the final figure will depend on material prices.”
Collocations
- approximately equal to
- approximate number/amount
- approximately $100
Word family
approximately adverbapproximation nounapproximate verb/adjective
Common mistakes
The cost is approximate 50 dollars.→The cost is approximately 50 dollars.
The figure approximates to 200.→The figure is approximately 200.
Say it for a higher band
5about→6roughly→7+approximate
Synonyms
roughly
about
Easily confused
estimate
“Can you estimate how many people will attend the conference?”
Related words
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In Sublist 8
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