approach

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To come near or nearer, as in space or time: Spring approaches.
2. v. Sports To make an approach, as in golf.
3. v. To come or go near or nearer to: approached the tunnel.
4. v. To come close to, as in appearance, quality, or condition; approximate: The performance approaches perfection.
5. v. To make a proposal or overtures to with a specific end in view: approached the administration for a raise.
6. v. To begin to deal with or work on: approached the task with dread; approached the issue from a historical perspective.
7. n. The act of approaching: the approach of night.
8. n. A fairly close resemblance; an approximation.
9. n. A way or means of reaching something; an access: an approach to the bridge.
10. n. The method used in dealing with or accomplishing: a logical approach to the problem.
11. n. An advance or overture made by one person to another.
12. n. Sports The golf stroke following the drive from the tee with which a player tries to get the ball onto the putting green.
13. n. Sports The steps taken prior to executing a competitive maneuver, as by a diver before diving forward from a springboard or by a bowler before delivering the ball.
14. n. Sports The part of the area behind the foul line in a bowling alley used by a bowler in delivering the ball.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To come or go near in place or time; draw near; advance nearer; come into presence.
2. Figuratively, to draw near; approximate; come near in degree: with to: as, he approaches to the character of an able statesman.
3. To bring near; advance: as, he approached his hand to the cup.
4. To come or draw near to: as, to approach the gate.
5. Figuratively, to come near to in quality, character, or condition; nearly equal: as, modern sculpture does not approach that of the Greeks.
6. n. The act of drawing near; a coming or advancing near.
7. n. Access; opportunity or liberty of drawing near; nearness: as, “the approach to kings,” Bacon.
8. n. Nearness or close approximation in quality, likeness, or character.
9. n. A passage or avenue by which anything is approached; any means of access or approximation.
10. n. plural In fortification, the works thrown up by besiegers to protect themselves in their advances toward a fortress. Compare boyau.
11. n. In golf, the play by which a player endeavors to get his ball on to the putting-green.

Wiktionary

1. v. intransitive To come or go near, in place or time; to draw nigh; to advance nearer.
2. v. intransitive, figuratively To draw near, in a figurative sense; to make advances; to approximate.
3. v. transitive To come near to in place, time, character, or value; to draw nearer to.
4. v. To make an attempt at (solving a problem or making a policy).
5. v. To speak to, as to make a request or ask a question.
6. v. transitive, military To take approaches to.
7. n. The act of drawing near; a coming or advancing near.
8. n. An access, or opportunity of drawing near.
9. n. Movements to gain favor; advances.
10. n. A way, passage, or avenue by which a place or buildings can be approached; an access.
11. n. A manner in which a problem is solved or policy is made.
12. n. used only in the plural, fortification The advanced works, trenches, or covered roads made by besiegers in their advances toward a fortress or military post.
13. n. golf A stroke whose object is to land the ball on the putting green. It is made with an iron club.
14. n. The way an aircraft lands at an airport.
15. n. bowling The area before the lane, in which a player may stand or run up before bowling the ball.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To come or go near, in place or time; to draw nigh; to advance nearer.
2. v. To draw near, in a figurative sense; to make advances; to approximate.
3. v. Archaic To bring near; to cause to draw near; to advance.
4. v. To come near to in place, time, or character; to draw nearer to
5. v. (Mil.) To take approaches to.
6. n. The act of drawing near; a coming or advancing near.
7. n. A access, or opportunity of drawing near.
8. n. Movements to gain favor; advances.
9. n. A way, passage, or avenue by which a place or buildings can be approached; an access.
10. n. (Fort.) The advanced works, trenches, or covered roads made by besiegers in their advances toward a fortress or military post.
11. n. (Hort.) See Approaching.
12. n. (Golf) A stroke whose object is to land the ball on the putting green. It is made with an iron club.
13. n. (Aviation) that part of a flight during which an airplane descends toward the landing strip.
14. n. (Bowling) the steps taken by a bowler just before delivering the ball toward the pins.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a relatively short golf shot intended to put the ball onto the putting green
2. v. begin to deal with
3. v. come near in time
4. v. move towards
5. n. a tentative suggestion designed to elicit the reactions of others
6. v. make advances to someone, usually with a proposal or suggestion
7. n. the event of one object coming closer to another
8. n. the act of drawing spatially closer to something
9. n. the temporal property of becoming nearer in time
10. n. ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation
11. n. a close approximation
12. n. a way of entering or leaving
13. v. come near or verge on, resemble, come nearer in quality, or character
14. n. the final path followed by an aircraft as it is landing