approach 1 of 2

noun

Definition of approachnext
1
as in route
an established course for traveling from one place to another will take the standard landing approach from the south

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in method
the means or procedure for doing something that's a different approach to knitting, but it seems to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

approach

2 of 2

verb

ə-ˈprōch How to pronounce approach (audio)
1
as in to come
to come near or nearer the parade's approaching! I can hear the band playing!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to enter
to move closer to approach the bull with caution

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to approximate
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of approach
Noun
These appointments focus on urgent relief, but appointments and follow-ups that take a more preventative approach to identify underlying causes are available, too. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 14 Oct. 2026 Applied to a solo outing, that approach encourages diners to appreciate the meal in front of them instead of scrolling through their phones. — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
Mid-level dry air will limit thunderstorm coverage as activity approaches the metroplex. — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 CoreWeave stock is approaching its Situational Awareness blow-up lows of just above $60 in late July. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for approach
Recent Examples of Synonyms for approach
  1. route
  2. method
  3. come
  4. enter
  5. approximate
  6. path
  7. strategy
  8. close
Noun
  • If a prescription costs $500 through insurance but $100 through Cost Plus Drugs, patients should be able to take the cheaper route and have that spending count toward their deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums.
    — Emma Witman, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Fewer people pay directly for medical care, and government heavily subsidizes demand without increasing supply, a sure route to higher prices.
    — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of route
Noun
  • Buyers are already putting money behind methods that remain difficult for outsiders to assess.
    — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • At the time, the team utilized a different error-correction method called Helix to demonstrate record-setting logical memory and computation.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of method
Verb
  • The post came roughly seven hours after Anthropic's Sunday announcement.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • In a matter of weeks, when the midterm results are tallied and the next campaign begins, Democrats with presidential dreams know the question will be coming.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of come
Verb
  • But students in more affluent schools, where Asian American students are concentrated, must perform better on the standardized exam to enter the lottery.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
  • However, certification does not mean the aircraft has entered commercial service.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of enter
Verb
  • Neither actor went for an exact impersonation, although Brill approximates Fauci’s Brooklyn accent.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • With data always containing some uncertainty, the rules an AI model learns are only approximated.
    — Chanh Kieu, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of approximate
Noun
  • There’s relief in his escape but the path has left him feeling scorned, too.
    — Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Detours and shortcuts in the brain The cells and synapses of the brain aren’t arranged in rigid, linear paths for each task and experience.
    — Sean Mccabe, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of path
Noun
  • People with the second phenotype, called durable, might have grown up in a predictable world—for example, a strict religious sect or just a family that experienced little change—and developed only certain coping strategies as a result.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Ren Faire, a 2024 docuseries Oppenheim shot for HBO about the succession crisis at the Texas Renaissance Festival, marked the apotheosis of this strategy.
    — Alex Barasch, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of strategy
Verb
  • Coatue, Blackstone, T Rowe Price, and new investor Sixth Street Growth co-led the round, which closed with a valuation of $190 billion.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Mackenzie closed his main church in Furunzi after buying a piece of land in the Shakahola forest in southeast Kenya for his community, per The Standard.
    — Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of close

Browse Nearby Words

apprizing
approach
approachable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Approach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/approach. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All