approximating,ppl.a.|əˈprɒksɪmeɪtɪŋ| [f. approximate v. + -ing2.] That approximates or brings near. 1774Goldsm.Nat.Hist. I. 12 Attraction: a sort of approximating influence, which all bodies..are found to possess.1783Cowper Corr. (1824) I. 293 The approximating powers of the telescope.