as in upcoming
being soon to appear or take place
the approaching holiday has everyone in a state of excitement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in coming
to come near or nearer
the parade's approaching! I can hear the band playing!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nearing
to move closer to
approach the bull with caution
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in approximating
to come near or nearer to in character or quality
his store-bought dessert doesn't even approach your homemade version of it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of approaching
Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
In Maryland and New York, however, candidate filing deadlines are fast approaching, after which redrawing congressional maps would be nearly impossible.
—David M. Drucker, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2026
Texas' March primaries are right around the corner, which means the deadline to register to vote is fast approaching.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
The self-assessment tax deadline is fast approaching, but landlords and the self-employed will soon have new HMRC requirements to follow – known as Making Tax Digital.
—Marc Shoffman, TheWeek, 14 Jan. 2026
Otherwise, the Supreme Court’s effective deadline to add final cases for this term — which puts them on track for a decision by the summer — is fast approaching.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 12 Jan. 2026
Christmas is fast approaching, and Kylie is still nowhere to be found.
—Veronica Fulton, NBC news, 18 Dec. 2025
Christmas Day is fast approaching.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 18 Dec. 2025
The Rule 5 Draft is fast approaching, marking an interesting checkpoint in the Major League Baseball offseasons.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
At one point, Woods tapped the back of his head, signaling that the seal was approaching.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
Even with Saturday’s deadline for filing candidate paperwork fast approaching, some are still undecided on whether to run.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Bourgeois commands a social media audience approaching six million followers, primarily through trainspotting content.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
This hot streak is approaching two months and a third of the season now.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Their window of opportunity only lasted the weekend — if the scientists didn’t secure the instruments by Monday, an approaching front of bad weather would prevent helicopters from extracting them, effectively stranding them for an indeterminate period of time.
—Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4, Futurism, 4 Feb. 2026
Their network is sprawling, often anonymous and with few overall objectives beyond helping immigrants, warning of approaching agents or filming videos to show the world what is happening.
—Tim Sullivan, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
When approaching them, be sure to be genuinely respectful and humble.
—Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
The deadline to submit a claim form for a 23andMe settlement is fast approaching.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
In Maryland and New York, however, candidate filing deadlines are fast approaching, after which redrawing congressional maps would be nearly impossible.
—David M. Drucker, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2026
Texas' March primaries are right around the corner, which means the deadline to register to vote is fast approaching.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 27 Jan. 2026
The self-assessment tax deadline is fast approaching, but landlords and the self-employed will soon have new HMRC requirements to follow – known as Making Tax Digital.
—Marc Shoffman, TheWeek, 14 Jan. 2026
Otherwise, the Supreme Court’s effective deadline to add final cases for this term — which puts them on track for a decision by the summer — is fast approaching.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 12 Jan. 2026
Christmas is fast approaching, and Kylie is still nowhere to be found.
—Veronica Fulton, NBC news, 18 Dec. 2025
Christmas Day is fast approaching.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 18 Dec. 2025
The Rule 5 Draft is fast approaching, marking an interesting checkpoint in the Major League Baseball offseasons.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
Verb
In the attack, suspects were identified approaching the yellow line in southern Khan Younis and were deemed a threat to the troops.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
At one point, Woods tapped the back of his head, signaling that the seal was approaching.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
Even with Saturday’s deadline for filing candidate paperwork fast approaching, some are still undecided on whether to run.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Bourgeois commands a social media audience approaching six million followers, primarily through trainspotting content.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Feb. 2026
This hot streak is approaching two months and a third of the season now.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Their window of opportunity only lasted the weekend — if the scientists didn’t secure the instruments by Monday, an approaching front of bad weather would prevent helicopters from extracting them, effectively stranding them for an indeterminate period of time.
—Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4, Futurism, 4 Feb. 2026
Their network is sprawling, often anonymous and with few overall objectives beyond helping immigrants, warning of approaching agents or filming videos to show the world what is happening.
—Tim Sullivan, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
When approaching them, be sure to be genuinely respectful and humble.
—Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for approaching
Adjective
-
My focus is on job approval, which not only captures a president’s popularity but has a huge impact on the performance of the president’s party in other elections, such as the upcoming November midterms.—
Craig Gilbert,
jsonline.com,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Temperatures will trend even warmer throughout the upcoming workweek, as highs climb to the upper 70s and lower 80s.—
Shane Hinton,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
There are finally clues to sift through, and everyone hopes that answers are coming soon and that hopefully Nancy can be recovered alive and well.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Recruitment is expected to begin in coming weeks.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Kalshi similarly showed an astronomic leap in the Bulls’ odds to trade for Antetokounmpo, nearing +500 late Sunday.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
If your grits are nearing the end of their window, be sure to find ways to put this Southern specialty to use.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the others, researchers cranked up the heat in greenhouses, approximating the effects of global warming.—
Drew Kann,
AJC.com,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The ideal scenario would see Wiggins approximating what Horton did this year, but that was a unique case of elite talent aligning with opportunity and player development.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Unless there is more to the Leonard story indicating an impending punishment from the NBA, this is an absolute disservice to Clippers fans this year and in immediate years to come.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Room for Disagreement Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, warned of an impending recession, in part due to consumption outpacing wages.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Paramount has already increased its output from eight to 15 films since closing the Paramount Skydance transaction in August.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2026
-
For its part, WaterTower Theatre has produced the stage version of the landmark 1960s coming-of-age film and novella The Graduate (closing Sunday), written a quarter a century ago by British playwright and director Terry Johnson.—
Manuel Mendoza,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Italy would be allowed to prohibit migrant ships from entering Italian waters for up to 30 days, the Associated Press reported.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The footage shows Ragan and another man entering the business armed with guns and pointing them at customers.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The construction industry added 33,000 jobs in January, with robust gains for specialty trade contractors, likely reflecting demand from data centers, experts noted.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Skyscrapers line city streets, reflecting an 8% economic growth rate, among the highest in the world, and a stock market that soared 37% last year in dollar terms.—
Nicholas D. Kristof,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Approaching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/approaching. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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