verb
extrapolate
ehk-STRAP-uh-layt
verb
1
To estimate or predict unknown information by extending patterns from known data.
"Scientists extrapolated future sea levels from decades of measurements."
"You can't extrapolate a national trend from just two data points."
How to Use Extrapolate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo guess what comes next (or what's true elsewhere) by extending a pattern you already know.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "interpolate," which estimates a value between two known points rather than beyond them.
Easily confused with
interpolate
Common pairings
extrapolate from data
extrapolate a trend
Word Forms
extrapolated past tense, extrapolates singular
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Scientists _____ future sea levels from decades of measurements.
Etymology
Built from extra- ("beyond") + a shortened form of "interpolate," coined to describe reasoning beyond a known data range.