Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

proper:The Supreme Court will ensure that the proper procedures have been followed.

apt:…an apt description of the situation.

ap|pro|pria|tion /əproʊ prie I ʃ ^ə n/ (appropriations )

1 N‑COUNT An appropriation is an amount of money that a government or organization reserves for a particular purpose. [FORMAL ] □  The government raised defence appropriations by 12 per cent.

2 N‑UNCOUNT Appropriation of something that belongs to someone else is the act of taking it, usually without having the right to do so. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] Other charges include fraud and illegal appropriation of land.

ap|prov|al ◆◇◇ /əpruː v ^ə l/ (approvals )

1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft with poss] If you win someone's approval for something that you ask for or suggest, they agree to it. □  The chairman has also given his approval for an investigation into the case. □  The proposed modifications met with widespread approval.

2 N‑VAR Approval is a formal or official statement that something is acceptable. □  The testing and approval of new drugs will be speeded up.

3 N‑UNCOUNT [usu with poss] If someone or something has your approval , you like and admire them. □  His son had an obsessive drive to gain his father's approval. PRAGMATICS approval

In this dictionary, the label APPROVAL indicates that you use the word or expression to show that you like or admire the person or thing you are talking about. An example of a word with this label is broad-minded.

ap|prove ◆◆◇ /əpruː v/ (approves , approving , approved )

1 VERB If you approve of an action, event, or suggestion, you like it or are pleased about it. □ [V + of ] Not everyone approves of the festival.

2 VERB If you approve of someone or something, you like and admire them. □ [V + of ] You've never approved of Henry, have you?

3 VERB If someone in a position of authority approves a plan or idea, they formally agree to it and say that it can happen. □ [V n] The Russian Parliament has approved a program of radical economic reforms.

4 → see also approved , approving

ap|proved /əpruː vd/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] An approved method or course of action is officially accepted as appropriate in a particular situation. □  The approved method of cleaning is industrial sand-blasting.

ap|pro ved schoo l (approved schools ) N‑COUNT In Britain in the past, an approved school was a boarding school where young people could be sent to stay if they had been found guilty of a crime.

ap|prov|ing /əpruː v I ŋ/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] An approving reaction or remark shows support for something, or satisfaction with it. □  His mother leaned forward and gave him an approving look.

approx.Approx. is a written abbreviation for approximately . □  Group Size: Approx. 12 to 16.

ap|proxi|mate (approximates , approximating , approximated ) The adjective is pronounced /əprɒ ks I mət/. The verb is pronounced /əprɒ ks I me I t/. 1 ADJ An approximate number, time, or position is close to the correct number, time, or position, but is not exact. □  The approximate cost varies from around £150 to £250. □  The times are approximate only. ●  ap|proxi|mate|ly ADV □  Approximately $150 million is to be spent on improvements.

2 ADJ An idea or description that is approximate is not intended to be precise or accurate, but to give some indication of what something is like. □  They did not have even an approximate idea what the Germans really wanted.