Definitions

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

  • transitive verb To calculate approximately (the amount, extent, magnitude, position, or value of something).
  • transitive verb To form an opinion about; evaluate.
  • noun A tentative evaluation or rough calculation, as of worth, quantity, or size.
  • noun A statement of the approximate cost of work to be done, such as a building project or car repairs.
  • noun A judgment based on one's impressions; an opinion.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To form a judgment or opinion regarding the value, size, weight, degree, extent, quantity, etc., of; compute, appraise, or value by judgment, opinion, or approximate calculation; fix the worth of; judge; reckon.
  • To esteem; honor.
  • Synonyms Value, Prize, Esteem, etc. (see appreciate); to count, judge, appraise.
  • noun A judgment or opinion as to the value, degree, extent, quantity, etc., of something; especially, a valuing determined by judgment, where exactness is not sought or is not attainable.
  • noun Estimation; reputation.

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

  • transitive verb To judge and form an opinion of the value of, from imperfect data, -- either the extrinsic (money), or intrinsic (moral), value; to fix the worth of roughly or in a general way
  • transitive verb To from an opinion of, as to amount,, number, etc., from imperfect data, comparison, or experience; to make an estimate of; to calculate roughly; to rate.
  • noun A valuing or rating by the mind, without actually measuring, weighing, or the like; rough or approximate calculation.

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

  • noun A rough calculation or guess.
  • noun construction and business A document (or verbal notification) specifying how much a job will probably cost.
  • verb To calculate roughly, often from imperfect data.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a statement indicating the likely cost of some job
  • noun a judgment of the qualities of something or somebody
  • verb judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time)
  • noun a document appraising the value of something (as for insurance or taxation)
  • noun an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth
  • verb judge to be probable
  • noun the respect with which a person is held

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin aestimāre, aestimāt-.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin aestimatus, past participle of aestimare, older form aestumare ("to value, rate, esteem"); see esteem.

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Examples

  • I have forced myself to stop refreshing Google news and the like, and attempted to focus on work the rest of the day, so I wouldn't be surprised that the estimate is as high as 100k-500k by now.

    "The courage of the coward— greater than all others." greygirlbeast 2010

  • This estimate is therefore preliminary, pending a review of the language of the reconciliation proposal, as well as further review and refinement of the budgetary projections.

    Matthew Yglesias » CBO: Health Reform Will Reduce the Deficit, Cover Tens of Millions of Americans 2010

  • This estimate is therefore preliminary, pending a review of the language of the reconciliation proposal, as well as further review and refinement of the budgetary projections.

    ‘Deem and Pass’ watch: Brooks on the ledge, Rubin on the sidewalk. | RedState 2010

  • If this estimate is accurate, remittances would surpass tourism to become Mexico's third largest source of foreign income after manufacturing and oil.

    Lloyd Mexico Economic Report - December 2001 2006

  • If this estimate is accurate, remittances would surpass tourism to become Mexico's third largest source of foreign income after manufacturing and oil.

    Lloyd Mexico Economic Report - December 2001 2006

  • If their estimate is actually honest the bonding will be negligable if they are just pulling numbers out of their a$$ that they think will "sell" the public on the project they may not be able to secure bonding.

    Sound Politics: Tunnel of Funny Money 2006

  • On Saturday, Sept. 24th hundreds of thousands of people - our estimate is at least 300,000 - marched in front of the White House and through the streets of Washington, DC in a powerful, unified statement of opposition to the war in Iraq and for justice for the people of the Gulf Coast.

    what i missed 2005

  • “In terms of property damage,” said actress Hilary Swank, “the estimate is at least $26 billion in insured losses and perhaps twice that in uninsured losses over a 90,000-square-mile area — approximately the size of Kansas.”

    Props to Kanye West! 2005

  • Left out of this estimate is the sheer human cost to the stroke patient and the stroke patient's family.

    Prevention and Treatment of Strokes 2000

  • But if my estimate is anywhere near right, it is not a proud record for a country which is nearly 100 per cent literate and where the ordinary man spends more on cigarettes than an Indian peasant has for his whole livelihood.

    Books v. Cigarettes 1946

Comments

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  • Mate!

    November 17, 2008