approach

[uh-prohch] /əˈproʊtʃ/
verb (used with object)
1.
to come near or nearer to:
The cars slowed down as they approached the intersection.
2.
to come near to in quality, character, time, or condition; to come within range for comparison:
As a poet he hardly approaches Keats.
3.
to present, offer, or make a proposal or request to:
to approach the president with a suggestion.
4.
to begin work on; set about:
to approach a problem.
5.
to make advances to; address.
6.
to bring near to something.
verb (used without object)
7.
to come nearer; draw near:
A storm is approaching.
8.
to come near in character, time, amount, etc.; approximate.
noun
9.
the act of drawing near:
the approach of a train.
10.
nearness or close approximation:
a fair approach to accuracy.
11.
any means of access, as a road or ramp:
the approaches to a city.
12.
the method used or steps taken in setting about a task, problem, etc.:
His approach to any problem was to prepare an outline.
13.
the course to be followed by an aircraft in approaching for a landing or in joining a traffic pattern:
The plane's approach to the airport was hazardous.
14.
Sometimes, approaches. a presentation, offer, or proposal.
15.
approaches, Military. works for protecting forces in an advance against a fortified position.
16.
Also called approach shot. Golf. a stroke made after teeing off, by which a player attempts to get the ball onto the putting green.
17.
Bowling.
  1. the steps taken and the manner employed in delivering the ball:
    He favors a four-step approach.
  2. the area behind the foul line, from which the ball is delivered.
Origin
1275-1325; (v.) Middle English a(p)prochen < Anglo-French, Old French a(p)rocher < Late Latin adpropiāre, verbal derivative, with ad- ad-, of Latin propius nearer (comparative of prope near), replacing Latin appropinquāre; (noun) late Middle English approche, derivative of the v.
Related forms
approacher, noun
approachless, adjective
reapproach, verb
unapproached, adjective
unapproaching, adjective
well-approached, adjective
Synonyms
1. near, close with. 3. sound out.
Antonyms
6. withdraw.
Examples from the web for approach
  • Those are to be thought apparent which, appearing only at a distance, vanish upon a nearer approach.
  • But as they approach shoreline and enter shallower water they slow down and begin to grow in energy and height.
  • Although this so-called continuous speech-recognition approach has indeed improved accuracy, it is by no means infallible.
  • Even text that is bold, italicized, and underlined all at once doesn't begin to approach the in-your-face chutzpah of all caps.
  • There is now an opportunity to reassess the entire approach to the negotiations.
  • How to approach an editor for book review? .
  • The double-headed approach makes sense for several reasons.
  • It's a rudimentary approach, but one that creates a smoky steam that in turn infuses the meat.
  • How do you approach price issues? My ideal pricing model is any model in which there's a lot of room for experimentation.
  • In this approach the auction revenue goes to government, which ostensibly uses it to improve air quality.
British Dictionary definitions for approach

approach

/əˈprəʊtʃ/
verb
1.
to come nearer in position, time, quality, character, etc, to (someone or something)
2.
(transitive) to make advances to, as with a proposal, suggestion, etc
3.
(transitive) to begin to deal with: to approach a problem
4.
(transitive) (rare) to cause to come near
noun
5.
the act of coming towards or drawing close or closer
6.
a close approximation
7.
the way or means of entering or leaving; access
8.
(often pl) an advance or overture to a person
9.
a means adopted in tackling a problem, job of work, etc
10.
Also called approach path. the course followed by an aircraft preparing for landing
Word Origin
C14: from Old French aprochier, from Late Latin appropiāre to draw near, from Latin prope near
Word Origin and History for approach
v.

c.1300, from Anglo-French approcher, Old French aprochier "approach, come closer" (12c., Modern French approcher), from Late Latin appropiare "go nearer to," from Latin ad- "to" (see ad-) + Late Latin propiare "come nearer," comparative of Latin prope "near" (see propinquity). Replaced Old English neahlæcan.

n.

mid-15c., from approach (v.). Figurative sense of "means of handling a problem, etc." is first attested 1905.