as in reflects
to come near or nearer to in character or quality
Rob's violin performance last night didn't even approximate what he's really capable of when he's not feeling sick
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Recent Examples of approximates
Some bakers find that adding lemon juice or vinegar to milk approximates buttermilk’s acidity adequately for their uses.
—
Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
Nordic Knots approximates the color scheme in their percale duvet cover but much more subtly.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 11 Mar. 2026
Its suitability to our climate stems from its origin in the South African Cape Floristic Province, whose climate approximates our own, except our summers are a bit hotter.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
His new deal approximates the five-year contracts Kyle Schwarber and Alex Bregman received from the Phillies and Cubs, respectively.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Rather, the league will enter a period of status quo that approximates normal working conditions.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
The following map approximates locations based on Newsweek's review of publicly available sources.
—Nick Mordowanec
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The device is built around a stream of liquid that approximates the flow of blood and minimizes harmful shear forces on cells.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 June 2019
Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
Nordic Knots approximates the color scheme in their percale duvet cover but much more subtly.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 11 Mar. 2026
Its suitability to our climate stems from its origin in the South African Cape Floristic Province, whose climate approximates our own, except our summers are a bit hotter.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
His new deal approximates the five-year contracts Kyle Schwarber and Alex Bregman received from the Phillies and Cubs, respectively.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Rather, the league will enter a period of status quo that approximates normal working conditions.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
The following map approximates locations based on Newsweek's review of publicly available sources.
—Nick Mordowanec
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The device is built around a stream of liquid that approximates the flow of blood and minimizes harmful shear forces on cells.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for approximates
Verb
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The split reflects a fundamental disagreement within the party.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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The case reflects two significant developments from about eight years ago.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The channel also features deal segments tied to Amazon shopping events and everyday deal streams, alongside licensed lifestyle programming that matches Amazon’s key shopping categories.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
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When a customer completes an order online with a participating retailer, SameDay Local automatically matches them to the appropriate vehicle and driver, assigns the route and provides them live near-real-time tracking updates from pickup to delivery.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That entrepreneurial mindset continues to shape how Jones approaches Arizona real estate, especially in a market as active and widely discussed as Maricopa County's.—
Connie Etemadi,
AZCentral.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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His father is a subject Nagarjuna approaches with both pride and philosophical caution.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Approximates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/approximates. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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