- 1 [countable] a way of dealing with somebody/something; a way of doing or thinking about something such as a problem or a task She took the wrong approach in her dealings with them. approach to something The school has decided to adopt a different approach to discipline. Wordfinderbehaviouraction, approach, attitude, behaviour, conform, eccentric, etiquette, habit, manners, morality Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveconventional, orthodox, traditional, … verb + approachhave, adopt, apply, … approach + verballow something, enable something, offer something, … prepositionapproach to See full entry movement nearer
- 2 [singular] movement nearer to somebody/something in distance or time She hadn't heard his approach and jumped as the door opened. the approach of spring They felt apprehensive about the approach of war. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveshallow, steep verb + approachmake, signal approach + nounspeed, route prepositionat the approach of, with the approach of, approach to, … See full entry offer/request
- 3[countable] the act of speaking to somebody about something, especially when making an offer or a request The club has made an approach to a local company for sponsorship. She resented his persistent approaches. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verb + approachmake, have, receive, … prepositionapproach from, approach to See full entry path/road
- 4[countable] a path, road, etc. that leads to a place All the approaches to the palace were guarded by troops. a new approach road to the port See related entries: Types of road of aircraft
- 5[countable] the part of an aircraft’s flight immediately before landing to begin the final approach to the runway See related entries: Plane travel something similar
- 6[singular] a thing that is like something else that is mentioned That's the nearest approach to an apology you'll get from him. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French aprochier, aprocher, from ecclesiastical Latin appropiare ‘draw near’, from ad- ‘to’ + propius (comparative of prope ‘near’).Extra examples He criticized the one-size-fits-all approach to learning. I liked her approach to the problem I spent some time testing this approach. Next time I’d advocate the direct approach. She favoured the direct approach. Some teachers have a more formal approach to teaching. Taking a fresh approach often yields interesting results. The US army pioneered this approach. The aircraft had to make a steep approach to the landing strip. The approach to the village was very pretty. The children fell silent at the approach of their teacher. The company is taking a proactive approach to easing the energy crisis. The plane crashed during its approach to the runway. The swishing of the grass signalled the approach of a person. The therapy takes a holistic approach to health and well-being. The weather turned colder with the approach of autumn. This approach allows students to learn at their own pace. This approach can be extended to other fields. This approach offers many advantages. This approach works for me. We need to adopt a more pragmatic approach. We need to try alternative approaches to the problem. We’ll have to make an approach to the chief executive. We’ve received an approach from the director of a rival company. a pragmatic approach to the role of religion in politics the approach road to the palace He had failed to notice the approach of the two policemen. She hadn’t heard his approach. The air was growing cooler with the approach of evening. The modern approach to grammar teaching should make it easier to learn. The school has adopted a firmer approach to discipline. They were watching the slow approach of the bus. This is a completely new approach. We want you to explore and develop various approaches. Why don’t you try a different approach? With the approach of winter comes new worries. You need to change your basic approach.Idioms
to problem/task
if you use the carrot and stick approach, you persuade somebody to try harder by offering them a reward if they do, or a punishment if they do not The emphasis is on the carrot of incentive rather than the stick of taxes.
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