əˌpɹɒksɪˈmeɪʃn əˌpɹɑksɪˈmeɪʃn ˈɛstɨmɨt ɛstɪˈmeɪʃən aɪˈdɪə aɪˈdi.ə ɑeˈdiə̯ the act of bringing near or bringing together especially the cut edges of tissue the quality of coming near to identity (especially close in quantity) an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth an estimate of what it would cost a rough idea how long it would take an imprecise or incomplete account newspapers gave only an approximation of the actual events