BrE BrE//əˈprɒksɪmət//; NAmE NAmE//əˈprɑːksɪmət//
almost correct or accurate, but not completely so an approximate number/total/cost The cost given is only approximate. Use these figures as an approximate guide in your calculations. Construction was completed at an approximate cost of $4.1 million. opposite exact Oxford Collocations DictionaryApproximate is used with these nouns: calculation, dimension, equivalent, … See full entry Word Originlate Middle English (in the adjectival sense ‘close, similar’): from late Latin approximatus, past participle of approximare, from ad- ‘to’ + proximus ‘very near’. The verb (originally meaning ‘bring close’) arose in the mid 17th cent.; the current use as an adjective dates from the early 19th cent.Check pronunciation: approximate
