to form an approximate judgment or opinion regarding the worth, amount, size, weight, etc., of; calculate approximately

to estimate the cost of a college education.

to form an opinion of; judge.

to make an estimate.

an approximate judgment or calculation, as of the value, amount, time, size, or weight of something.

a judgment or opinion, as of the qualities of a person or thing.

a statement of the approximate charge for work to be done, submitted by a person or business firm ready to undertake the work.

noun

appraisal , appraisement , assay , assessment , ballpark figure * , belief , conclusion , conjecture , estimation , evaluation , gauging , guess , guesstimate , impression , judgment , measure , measurement , mensuration , opinion , point of view , projection , rating , reckoning , sizing up , stock , surmise , survey , thought , valuationnotes:estimate implies a calculation has been performed and it is on that basis that a judgment or valuation is being made , while estimation implies that an on-the-spot evaluation is being performed and that it is an opinion based on that evaluation; an estimate conveys a more reasoned or impersonal judgment than an estimation , valuation , approximation

verb

account , appraise , assay , assess , believe , budget , calculate roughly , cast , cipher , class , classify , compute , conjecture , consider , count , decide , deduce , determine , enumerate , evaluate , examine , expect , figure , form opinion , gauge , guess , guesstimate , judge , look into , look upon , number , outline , plan , predict , prophesy , rank , rate , reason , reckon , regard , run over , scheme , set a figure , size up * , sum , suppose , surmise , suspect , tax , think , think through *notes:estimate implies a calculation has been performed and it is on that basis that a judgment or valuation is being made , while estimation implies that an on-the-spot evaluation is being performed and that it is an opinion based on that evaluation; an estimate conveys a more reasoned or impersonal judgment than an estimation , approximate , place , put , set , calculate , size up , valuate , value , appraisal , assessment , average , computation , critique , forecast , opinion , prize , projection , quotation , survey