approach

approach
    n 1: ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or
         situation; "his approach to every problem is to draw up a
         list of pros and cons"; "an attack on inflation"; "his plan
         of attack was misguided" [syn: {approach}, {attack}, {plan
         of attack}]
    2: the act of drawing spatially closer to something; "the
       hunter's approach scattered the geese" [syn: {approach},
       {approaching}, {coming}]
    3: a way of entering or leaving; "he took a wrong turn on the
       access to the bridge" [syn: {access}, {approach}]
    4: the final path followed by an aircraft as it is landing [syn:
       {approach path}, {approach}, {glide path}, {glide slope}]
    5: the event of one object coming closer to another [syn:
       {approach}, {approaching}]
    6: a tentative suggestion designed to elicit the reactions of
       others; "she rejected his advances" [syn: {overture},
       {advance}, {approach}, {feeler}]
    7: the temporal property of becoming nearer in time; "the
       approach of winter" [syn: {approach}, {approaching},
       {coming}]
    8: a close approximation; "the nearest approach to genius"
    9: a relatively short golf shot intended to put the ball onto
       the putting green; "he lost the hole when his approach rolled
       over the green" [syn: {approach}, {approach shot}]
    v 1: move towards; "We were approaching our destination"; "They
         are drawing near"; "The enemy army came nearer and nearer"
         [syn: {approach}, {near}, {come on}, {go up}, {draw near},
         {draw close}, {come near}]
    2: come near or verge on, resemble, come nearer in quality, or
       character; "This borders on discrimination!"; "His playing
       approaches that of Horowitz" [syn: {border on}, {approach}]
    3: begin to deal with; "approach a task"; "go about a difficult
       problem"; "approach a new project" [syn: {set about}, {go
       about}, {approach}]
    4: come near in time; "Winter is approaching"; "approaching old
       age" [syn: {approach}, {come near}]
    5: make advances to someone, usually with a proposal or
       suggestion; "I was approached by the President to serve as
       his adviser in foreign matters"
    

Approach \Ap*proach"\, v. t.
   1. To bring near; to cause to draw near; to advance.
      [Archaic] --Boyle.
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   2. To come near to in place, time, or character; to draw
      nearer to; as, to approach the city; to approach my cabin;
      he approached the age of manhood.
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            He was an admirable poet, and thought even to have
            approached Homer.                     --Temple.
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   3. (Mil.) To take approaches to.
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Approach \Ap*proach"\, n. [Cf. F. approche. See {Approach}, v.
   i.]
   1. The act of drawing near; a coming or advancing near. "The
      approach of summer." --Horsley.
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            A nearer approach to the human type.  --Owen.
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   2. A access, or opportunity of drawing near.
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            The approach to kings and principal persons.
                                                  --Bacon.
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   3. pl. Movements to gain favor; advances.
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   4. A way, passage, or avenue by which a place or buildings
      can be approached; an access. --Macaulay.
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   5. pl. (Fort.) The advanced works, trenches, or covered roads
      made by besiegers in their advances toward a fortress or
      military post.
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   6. (Hort.) See {Approaching}.
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   7. (Golf) A stroke whose object is to land the ball on the
      putting green. It is made with an iron club.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   8. (Aviation) that part of a flight during which an airplane
      descends toward the landing strip.
      [PJC]

   9. (Bowling) the steps taken by a bowler just before
      delivering the ball toward the pins.
      [PJC.]
    

Approach \Ap*proach"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Approached}; p. pr.
   & vb. n. {Approaching}.] [OE. approchen, aprochen, OF.
   approcher, LL. appropriare, fr. L. ad + propiare to draw
   near, prope near.]
   1. To come or go near, in place or time; to draw nigh; to
      advance nearer.
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            Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city? --2
                                                  Sam. xi. 20.
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            But exhorting one another; and so much the more, as
            ye see the day approaching.           --Heb. x. 25.
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   2. To draw near, in a figurative sense; to make advances; to
      approximate; as, he approaches to the character of the
      ablest statesman.
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500 Moby Thesaurus words for "approach":
      MO, access, accomplish, accomplishment, accordance, accost,
      achieve, achievement, act on, address, adit, advance, advances,
      advent, advise, agreement, air lock, algorithm, alikeness,
      alliance, analogy, answer, anticipate, ape, aping, apostrophize,
      appeal to, appear, appear like, appearance, apply to, approaches,
      appropinquate, approximate, approximation, arise, arrangement,
      arrival, arrive, arrive at, arrive in, asking price, assay,
      assimilation, asymptote, attack, attain, attain to, attainment,
      attempt, attitude, await, be around, be destined, be fated,
      be imminent, be in store, be like, be near, be received,
      be redolent of, be to be, be to come, bear down on, bear down upon,
      bear resemblance, bear up, bear upon, beg, begin to, beseech,
      bespeak, bid, blind landing, blow in, blueprint, blueprinting,
      bob up, bottleneck, break the ice, brew, bribe, bring to mind,
      buttonhole, buy, buy off, calculation, call, call to, call to mind,
      call up, center, centralize, chance, charting, check in, clock in,
      close, close in, close up, close with, closeness, collision course,
      come, come along, come close, come closer, come forth,
      come forward, come in, come into being, come into existence,
      come near, come on, come to, come to hand, come together, come up,
      coming, coming in, communicate with, community, comparability,
      compare with, comparison, concenter, concentralization,
      concentralize, concentrate, concentration, conception, concourse,
      concurrence, confer, confines, confluence, conflux, conformity,
      confront, congress, consult, contact, contrivance, converge,
      convergence, converging, copy, copying, correspond, correspond to,
      correspondence, corridor, corrupt, counsel, counterfeit, course,
      court, crack, crop up, crossing, cultivate, design, device,
      disposition, draw, draw near, draw nigh, draw on, effort,
      encounter, endeavor, engage, enterprise, entrance, entranceway,
      entreat, entry, entryway, environs, envisagement, equal, essay,
      establish connection, evoke, exert influence, expect, experiment,
      face, fall in with, fashion, favor, feeler, fetch, fetch up at,
      figuring, find, fix, fling, focalization, focus, follow,
      foreground, foresee, foresight, foretell, forethought, form,
      forthcome, forthcoming, funnel, futurity, gain, gain upon, gambit,
      game, gangplank, gangway, gather, get at, get cozy with, get in,
      get there, get to, get warm, go, graphing, grease, grease the palm,
      greet, ground plan, guidelines, guise, hail, hall, halloo,
      hang over, hit, hit town, hope, hover, hub, idea, identity,
      imitate, imitation, immediacy, immediate foreground,
      immediate future, imminence, impend, impendence, impendency,
      implore, importune, in, ingress, inlet, intake, intention,
      interrogate, intersect, invitation, invoke, landing, layout,
      lead on, lick, lie ahead, lie over, lift a finger, likeness,
      likening, line, line of action, lines, lineup, lobby,
      lobby through, long-range plan, look for, look forward to,
      look like, loom, lower, magnetize, maintain connection, make,
      make a pass, make advances, make an attempt, make an effort,
      make an overture, make contact with, make it, make overtures,
      make up to, manner, manner of working, mapping, master plan, match,
      materialize, means, means of access, meet, meeting, memorialize,
      menace, metaphor, method, methodology, mimic, mimicking, mirror,
      mode, mode of operation, mode of procedure, modus operandi, move,
      movement, mutual approach, narrow the gap, narrowing gap, near,
      near future, nearly reproduce, nearness, negotiate, neighborhood,
      nigh, nighness, nip, not tell apart, offer, offering, opening,
      operations research, order, organization, overhang, overture,
      overtures, parallel, parallelism, parity, parley, partake of,
      passage, passageway, path, pay addresses to, pay court to, pay off,
      pinch, plan, planning, planning function, play up to, plead, plot,
      pop up, practice, prearrangement, precinct, predict,
      preliminary approach, present itself, presentation, procedure,
      proceeding, process, proffer, program, program of action, project,
      prophesy, propinquity, proposals, propose to, proposition,
      propositions, proximate, proximity, pull in, pull strings,
      punch in, purchase, purlieus, question, radius, raise,
      rationalization, reach, reaching, relate to, remind one of,
      reply to, resemblance, resemble, respond to, ring in, rival,
      roll in, routine, run after, run together, salute, sameness,
      savor of, schedule, schema, schematism, schematization, scheme,
      scheme of arrangement, seem like, semblance, setup, shine up to,
      shot, show up, sidle up to, sign in, similarity, simile,
      similitude, simulate, simulation, smack of, solicit, sound like,
      sound out, speak, speak fair, speak to, spokes, spring up, stab,
      stack up, stack up with, step, step up, strategic plan, strategy,
      stroke, strong bid, style, submission, suborn, suggest, supplicate,
      system, systematization, tack, tactical plan, tactics, take after,
      take aside, take care of, talk to, tamper with, tangent, taper,
      technique, tentative, tentative approach, the big picture,
      the drill, the how, the picture, the way of, threaten,
      throw a pass, tickle the palm, time in, tone, touch, touchdown,
      trench, trial, trial and error, try, turn up, undertake,
      undertaking, unite, venture, venture on, venture upon, verge,
      vestibule, vicinage, vicinity, way, way in, whack, wire-pull, wise,
      work on, working plan