English · Word Candidate

approaching

/əˈpɹoʊt͡ʃɪŋ/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: approachings

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

That approaches or approach.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Tiến gần hoặc tiếp cận

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

the approaching armies

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Nearly.

Adverb

Examples

The evacuation of approaching 200,000 people, along with reports of high radiation levels, of burning spent fuel, and apocalyptic footage of plumes of debris erupting from the stricken plant, will revive a question that seemed to have been retreating from global concerns: how safe is nuclear power?

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

The act of coming closer; an approach.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Hành động tiến gần hơn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

But we can also take a more analytical attitude to these displays, interpreting the movements as no more than approachings, touchings, and departings with no implication that one shape caused the other to move.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “approaching” mean?

That approaches or approach.

Is “approaching” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.