approach

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• intransitive verb To come near or nearer, as in space or time.
• intransitive verb Sports To make an approach, as in golf.
• intransitive verb To come or go near or nearer to.
• intransitive verb To come close to, as in appearance, quality, or condition; approximate.
• intransitive verb To make a proposal or overtures to with a specific end in view.
• intransitive verb To begin to deal with or work on.
• noun The act of approaching.
• noun A fairly close resemblance; an approximation.
• noun A way or means of reaching something; an access.
• noun The method used in dealing with or accomplishing.
• noun An advance or overture made by one person to another.
• noun The golf stroke following the drive from the tee with which a player tries to get the ball onto the putting green.
• noun 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.
• noun The part of the area behind the foul line in a bowling alley used by a bowler in delivering the ball.

from The Century Dictionary.

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

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

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

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• verb intransitive To come or go near, in place or time; to draw nigh; to advance nearer.
• verb intransitive, figuratively To draw near, in a figurative sense; to make advances; to approximate.
• verb transitive To come near to in place, time, character, or value; to draw nearer to.
• verb To make an attempt at (solving a problem or making a policy).
• verb To speak to, as to make a request or ask a question.
• verb transitive, military To take approaches to.
• noun The act of drawing near; a coming or advancing near.
• noun An access, or opportunity of drawing near.
• noun Movements to gain favor; advances.
• noun A way, passage, or avenue by which a place or buildings can be approached; an access.