Tra từ approximate - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

ap·proxi·mate AW [approximate approximates approximated approximating] adjective, verb
adjective BrE [əˈprɒksɪmət] ; NAmE [əˈprɑːksɪmət] (abbr.approx)
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.
Opp: ↑exact

Word Origin:
late 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.

Thesaurus:
approximate adj.
•The cost given is only approximate.
rough • • imprecise • • inexact • • vague • • general • • broad • |AmE ballpark •
Opp: exact
a/an approximate/rough/vague/general/broad idea
a/an approximate/rough/ballpark figure/estimate
Approximate or rough? Approximate most often describes the number, amount, cost, etc. of sth. Rough more often describes an estimate, idea or guess of sth:
•Construction was completed at an approximate cost of $4.1 million.
• There were about 20 people there, at a rough guess.
Rough, but not approximate can describe a piece of writing or a drawing:
•a rough draft/sketch of sth
✗ an approximate draft/sketch of sth

Example Bank:
•Construction was completed at an approximate cost of $4.1 million.

verb BrE [əˈprɒksɪmeɪt] ; NAmE [əˈprɑːksɪmeɪt] (formal)
1. transitive, intransitive to be similar or close to sth in nature, quality, amount, etc, but not exactly the same
•~ sth The animals were reared in conditions which approximated the wild as closely as possible.
•The total cost will approximate £15 billion.
•~ to sth His story approximates to the facts that we already know.
2. transitive ~ sth to calculate or estimate sth fairly accurately
•a formula for approximating the weight of a horse
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
late 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.

Example Bank:
•The total cost will approximate £5 billion.