Meaning & use
extrapolate
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To work out what is probably true about something unknown by stretching what you already know past its limits.
Grammar: Often followed by from: extrapolate from the data, or extrapolate a result from it.
Patterns
- extrapolate from something
- extrapolate something from something
- extrapolate to something
We can extrapolate from last year's sales to predict this year's.
Researchers extrapolated the results of the small trial to the whole population.
It is risky to extrapolate too far from so little evidence.
verbtransitive or intransitivemathematicstechnical
To extend a graph, line, or series of values beyond the known data points in order to estimate further values.
Grammar: Used in mathematics and statistics: extrapolate the curve.
Patterns
- extrapolate a curve
The analyst extrapolated the trend line to the year 2040.
If you extrapolate the curve, the population doubles in ten years.
The software can extrapolate missing values from the existing series.
Word forms
| third person singular | extrapolates |
|---|---|
| past tense | extrapolated |
| past participle | extrapolated |
| -ing form | extrapolating |
Common combinations
- extrapolate from the data
- You cannot extrapolate from the data without more samples.
- extrapolate a trend
- They extrapolated the trend into next decade.
- extrapolate the results
- Scientists extrapolated the results to other species.
- safely extrapolate
- We cannot safely extrapolate from one case.
- extrapolate beyond
- The model should not be used to extrapolate beyond its range.
Synonyms and how they differ
- project
- Project is similar, but it often means forecasting a future figure and does not stress the extension of known data.
- infer
- Infer means to conclude from evidence in general, while extrapolate specifically means extending a pattern beyond what was measured.
- deduce
- Deduce suggests a logical conclusion that must follow, whereas extrapolate is a less certain estimate.
- estimate
- Estimate is a broad word for approximating, with no necessary link to extending a known trend.
Opposites
Word family
- extrapolation noun
- the act or result of extrapolating
- extrapolative adjective
- relating to extrapolation
- interpolate verb
- to estimate a value between known points
Commonly confused: extrapolate or interpolate?
extrapolate vs interpolate
Interpolate estimates a value between known points, whereas extrapolate goes beyond them.
Practice
A scientist measures plant growth for ten days, then predicts its height after a year using the same pattern. She is ___ the data.
Choose one answer.
Extrapolating means extending a known pattern beyond the measurements. Interpolating would estimate a value inside the measured range.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “extrapolate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.