approach

To come or go near, in place or time; to move toward; to advance nearer; to draw nigh.intransitive

• She approached the door cautiously.
• We were approached by a stranger asking for directions.

To play an approach shot.intransitive

Used intransitively, followed by to: to draw near (to someone or something); to make advances; to approximate or become almost equal.ambitransitivefiguratively

• He approaches to the character of the ablest statesman.

Of an immovable object or a number of such objects: to be positioned as to (notionally) appear to be moving towards (a place).intransitiveraretransitive

• As we drove along the driveway, the trees approaching the house seemed more eerie.

To move toward (someone or something) in place, time, character, or value; to draw nearer to.alsofigurativelytransitive

• “Would counsel please approach the bench?” asked the judge.
• He approached the age of manhood.

To bring (something) near something else; to cause (something) to draw near.transitive

• "My story is not long," said the artist; "but your honour had better sit while you listen to it." So saying, he approached to the fire a three-footed stool, and took another himself, […]

Used when defining limits, preceded by as: To become arbitrarily close to some value, be it a number, vector or infinity and have an effect on another value.transitive

To attempt to make (a policy) or solve (a problem).transitive

• Mr. Moonlight Quill, mysterious, exotic, and oriental in temperament was, nevertheless, a man of decision. And it was with decision that he approached the problem of his wrecked shop.

To bring up or propose to (someone) an idea, question, request, etc.transitive

• "Why bother publishing my conversations. It has not helped you, and it is not going to help anybody else", said U. G. when I approached him with the idea of publishing excerpts from his conversations with the constant stream of people who g

To have sexual intercourse with (someone).archaiceuphemistictransitive

• None of you ſhall approche to any that is neere of kinne to him, to vncouer their nakedneſſe: I am the Lord.

An act of drawing near in place or time; an advancing or coming near.alsofiguratively

• Ah, what a ſigne it is of euill life, Where death's approach is ſeene ſo terrible.
• Nauar had notice of your faire approch. And he and his compettitours in oth, Were all addreſt to meete you gentle Lady Before I came: […]

An act of coming near in character or value; an approximation.

• The canine, judging from the figures published by M. [Édouard] Lartet, seems to be less developed than in the male chimpanzees, gorillas and orang. In which character the fossil, if it belonged to a male, makes a nearer approach to the huma

An avenue, passage, or way by which a building or place can be approached; an access.alsofiguratively

• Where are my lines then? my approaches? views? Where are my window-ſongs?

An avenue, passage, or way by which a building or place can be approached; an access.; A path taken to reach the climbing area, for example, from a car park, road, etc.alsofiguratively

A manner of making (a policy) or solving (a problem, etc.).figuratively

• Our proposed definitional approach to the data processing-communications dilemma evoked considerable discussion. There is uniform disagreement and confusion as to the regulatory implications of the proposed definitional terms.
• Its [the United States Environmental Protection Agency's] initial approach to controlling the amount of lead in the ambient air was to limit lead emissions from automobiles by restricting the amount of lead in gasoline.

An opportunity of drawing near; access.archaic

• Honour hath three Things in it: The Vantage Ground to doe Good: The approach to Kings and principall Persons: And the Raiſing of a Mans owne Fortunes.
• The Learned met with free Approach, Although they came not in a Coach.

The way an aircraft comes in to land at an airport.alsoattributive

• Most small airplanes maintain a speed well in excess of 1.3 times V_(SO) on an instrument approach. An airplane with a stall speed of 50 knots (V_(SO)) has a normal approach speed of 65 knots.

The way an aircraft comes in to land at an airport.; A specific procedure used for approaching and landing at an airport.alsoattributive

• We flew the RNAV/GPS A approach to runway 16.

The area before the lane in which a bowler may stand or run up before bowling the ball.

Ellipsis of approach shot.abbreviationalt-ofellipsis