estimated
estimated — adjective
1. used to describe a number, amount, or time that has been calculated roughly and
used to describe a number, amount, or time that has been calculated roughly and may not be exactly right.
The estimated cost of building the new library is around two million dollars.
estimated + cost: typical noun collocation for a project budget
The estimated arrival time of the flight from Tokyo is 3:45 this afternoon.
According to the estimated figures, the number of visitors has doubled since last year.
An estimated five hundred people attended the outdoor concert despite the rain.
- approximate
more common in everyday speech; 'estimated' sounds more formal and businesslike
- rough
more informal; 'a rough guess' vs 'an estimated figure'
文法句型
estimated + noun
用法筆記
Always used before a noun — you cannot say 'The cost is estimated' as an adjective without 'the estimated cost'. The verb form 'estimated' (past participle) is used in passive constructions instead.
常見錯誤
estimated — verb
1. to use the information you have to make a rough guess about the value, amount, s
to use the information you have to make a rough guess about the value, amount, size, or cost of something.
The real estate agent estimated the house at roughly four hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
estimate + noun + at + [amount]
Experts estimate that the new highway will take at least three years to complete.
estimate + that-clause for a prediction
We estimated the crowd to be around eight thousand people based on the ticket sales.
Can you estimate how long it will take to drive from Taipei to Kaohsiung in this traffic?
The scientists estimated the total amount of plastic waste entering the ocean each year.
文法句型
estimate + noun phrase
estimate + that-clause
estimate + noun + to be + adjective/noun
用法筆記
Frequently used with 'at' before a price ('estimated at $200') or 'to be' before a description ('estimated to be 50 years old'). The that-clause pattern is common in reports and research writing.
常見錯誤
2. to roughly judge the size, distance, or other physical qualities of something by
to roughly judge the size, distance, or other physical qualities of something by looking at it or measuring it.
The farmer estimated the width of the field by walking across it and counting his steps.
Climbing the tree, young Kenji estimated its height at about twelve metres.
estimate + noun + at + [measurement]
The rescue team estimated the distance to the stranded hikers at roughly five kilometres.
Geologists estimated the thickness of the ice sheet using radar equipment.
文法句型
estimate + noun (size/weight/distance)
3. to tell a customer the expected price of a service or repair before the work beg
to tell a customer the expected price of a service or repair before the work begins.
The mechanic estimated the cost of repairing the brakes at about eight thousand dollars.
estimate the cost of [work] at [price]
Before signing the contract, ask the builder to estimate the labour costs for the renovation.
The painter estimated that repainting the entire office would take three days and cost fifteen thousand.
We asked three different plumbers to estimate the job before choosing one.
文法句型
estimate + cost of + noun/gerund
用法筆記
Common in service industries — construction, car repair, home improvement. The estimate is usually free and non-binding before a customer agrees to the work.
常見錯誤
4. to form a personal opinion or draw a conclusion about someone or something based
to form a personal opinion or draw a conclusion about someone or something based on the evidence available.
After watching her perform, the judges estimated that she had the talent to win the competition.
estimate + that-clause for forming an opinion based on observation
The teacher estimated that the student's project would take another two weeks to finish.
Investors estimated that the company's new product would be a huge success in the Asian market.
文法句型
estimate + that-clause
用法筆記
This sense overlaps with 'judge' and 'conclude'. It is slightly more formal than 'guess' but less formal than 'determine'. Usually followed by a that-clause.
5. to have a strong feeling of respect or admiration for someone's worth or charact
to have a strong feeling of respect or admiration for someone's worth or character.
The elderly professor was highly estimated by her colleagues for her thirty years of research on cancer treatments.
passive: be highly estimated by [someone] — archaic; prefer 'be highly esteemed/valued by'
- disdain
to regard with contempt or lack of respect
文法句型
be estimated + adverb (highly/greatly)
用法筆記
This sense is archaic — do NOT use 'estimate' to express respect or admiration in modern English. Instead, use 'esteem' (e.g., 'She was highly esteemed by her colleagues') or 'value' (e.g., 'We value your opinion very much'). Learners will only encounter this archaic sense in older literary texts from the 17th–19th centuries.
常見錯誤
6. to have a trained expert examine something — such as a painting, property, or pi
to have a trained expert examine something — such as a painting, property, or piece of jewellery — and officially decide its quality or market value, typically for insurance, a sale, or an auction.
An antiques dealer estimated the old painting at over one hundred thousand dollars.
estimate antique/jewel/property at [value]
The insurance company asked an expert to estimate the value of the damaged building.
Before the auction, every item was carefully estimated by a team of specialists.
文法句型
estimate + noun (antique/property/jewel)
用法筆記
Contrast with verb/1 (APPROXIMATE WORTH): verb/1 is a rough guess based on available information, while verb/6 requires a trained person's careful examination. For a quick guess of a house price, use verb/1; for a formal valuation by a certified appraiser, use verb/6.
estimated — noun
1. a number or amount that you calculate or guess, based on available information b
a number or amount that you calculate or guess, based on available information but not exact.
The police gave a rough estimate of the number of people at the protest.
rough estimate: common adjective-noun pair for an imprecise guess
At a conservative estimate, the damage from the storm will cost over two million dollars.
at a [adjective] estimate: fixed phrase for stating the basis of a guess
The company's latest estimate suggests that sales will grow by fifteen percent this year.
These estimates are based on last year's data, so they may not be completely accurate.
According to official estimates, the city's population has grown by twenty percent in five years.
- approximation
more formal and mathematical; 'estimate' is broader in everyday use
- rough calculation
emphasises the imprecision
文法句型
an estimate of + noun
at a rough estimate
常見錯誤
2. a number that is calculated from a sample and used as an approximation for a tru
a number that is calculated from a sample and used as an approximation for a true value within a larger population.
The sample provided a reliable estimate of the average income in the region.
estimate of [parameter]: technical collocation in statistics
Using data from a thousand patients, researchers calculated an estimate of the average recovery time after surgery.
estimate of [parameter] from [data source]: research context
The election poll gave a statistical estimate of the candidate's support with a margin of error of three percent.
- statistic
broader term that can refer to any numerical data; 'estimate' specifically implies approximation
文法句型
estimate of + noun (parameter/population mean)
用法筆記
This is a technical term used mainly in statistics, data science, and academic research. Learners studying these fields will encounter it in textbooks and papers. In everyday English, sense 1 is far more common.
3. a written document or spoken statement that tells a customer the likely price of
a written document or spoken statement that tells a customer the likely price of a job or service before it is done.
The builder gave us a written estimate for replacing the roof of the house.
give + a written estimate + for + [work]: typical business transaction
Always get three estimates before hiring a contractor to install a new kitchen.
The estimate included the cost of materials but not the labour charges.
Omar's estimate for fixing the leaking roof was much lower than the other two we received.
文法句型
get an estimate
provide an estimate
estimate for + noun/gerund
用法筆記
In this sense, an 'estimate' is typically free and non-binding. A 'quote' or 'quotation' is more likely to be a fixed price. In American English, 'estimate' and 'quote' are sometimes used interchangeably in casual conversation.
常見錯誤
4. a personal opinion or view about what someone or something is like, often based
a personal opinion or view about what someone or something is like, often based on limited information.
The manager's estimate of the new employee's abilities turned out to be completely wrong.
one's estimate of [someone/something's abilities/character]: opinion-based pattern
In her estimate, the movie was too long and the ending was disappointing.
in + possessive pronoun + estimate: fixed phrase for stating a personal view
What is your honest estimate of the chances that the plan will succeed?
My estimate of his character improved greatly after he volunteered to help the team.
- opinion
more general; 'estimate' suggests a more reasoned assessment
- assessment
more formal and systematic
- evaluation
focuses on judging quality or value
文法句型
one's estimate of + noun/pronoun
5. the act or process of professionally deciding how much something is worth, focus
the act or process of professionally deciding how much something is worth, focusing on the work of examining and appraising rather than on the final number.
The estimate of the estate took the lawyers several weeks to complete.
estimate of [estate/property/assets]: the process of valuation
A professional estimate is required before the insurance company will approve the claim.
The jeweller's estimate of the diamond ring was much higher than we expected.
文法句型
the estimate of + noun
for + [purpose] estimate
用法筆記
Test which sense you need: if you can replace 'estimate' with 'appraisal process' or 'act of valuing' without changing the meaning, you are using noun/5. If you can replace it with 'approximate number', you need noun/1 instead. For example: 'The estimate of the estate took weeks' → 'The act of valuing the estate took weeks' (noun/5). 'The estimate was $500,000' → 'The approximate number was $500,000' (noun/1).