很像但不完全一樣
同樣的「靠近但不重合」，只是比的不再是數字，而是性質：一個東西做到很像另一個，中間仍留著看得出來的差距。
be similar to · verb · B2
To be similar to something, but not exactly the same as it.
近似於；接近
核心畫面
Picture a mark placed very near the true point but not exactly on it — near enough to be useful, and everyone knows it is not the precise spot. That gap, deliberately left open, is the word: as an adjective it labels the number, as a verb it says the thing comes close to another.
可以想成：一個記號點在真正的位置旁邊，沒有正中紅心——但夠近，可以拿來用，而且大家都知道它不是精確值。這個「刻意留著…更多收起
可以想成：一個記號點在真正的位置旁邊，沒有正中紅心——但夠近，可以拿來用，而且大家都知道它不是精確值。這個「刻意留著的一點差距」就是這個字：當形容詞是替數字貼標籤，當動詞是說某個東西很靠近另一個。From the picture
Also in this word
approximate; roughly correct · adjective · B2
An approximate number, amount, or time is close to the exact one, but it may be a little higher or a little lower.
大約的；大概的
close to a number · verb · B2
To be close to a particular number; the amount is almost that number, a little more or a little less.
接近（某數字）；約為
原始詞典資料7 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
approximateadj詞源 1/əˈpɹɒk.sɪ.mət/
- 1
Approaching; proximate; nearly resembling.
- 2
Nearing correctness; nearly exact; not perfectly accurate.
- approximate results or values
- NASA’s Genesis spacecraft has on board an ion monitor to record the speed, density, temperature and approximate composition of the solar wind ions.
- 3
biologybotanynatural-sciencesDrawn close together, but not united.
approximatenoun詞源 1/əˈpɹɒk.sɪ.mət/
- 1
rareAn approximate result or quantity.
approximateverb詞源 2/əˈpɹɒk.sɪ.meɪt/
- 1
To estimate.
- I approximated the value of pi by taking 22 divided by 7.
- As yet, we don't know what the comparable figures will be like for the current financial year which ends in March 2022, but we can have a good stab at approximating them.
- 2
To come near to; to approach.
- When you follow two separate chains of thought, Watson, you will find some point of intersection which should approximate to the truth.
- The telescope approximates perfection.
- 3
To carry or advance near; to cause to approach.
- to approximate the inequality of riches to the level of nature
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。