# extrapolated

/ɛkˈstɹæpəˌɫeɪtɪd/ (US) · /ɛkstɹˈæpəlˌeɪtɪd/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/extrapolated
Updated: 2026-10-19

## Definition

to guess a future number or result by extending a trend you already see. You use this when you have some data and want to predict what comes next.

For teachers: to infer values beyond an observed range by extending an established trend, pattern, or model. Often contrasted with interpolation, which estimates values within the observed range.

## Examples

- We extrapolate future sales from last year's numbers.
- The team extrapolated next quarter's demand from three months of steady growth.
- From a handful of ice-core measurements, climatologists extrapolated temperature curves spanning millennia, acknowledging that small errors in the baseline could magnify dramatically at scale.

## Usage notes

- Transitive; often followed by 'from' for the source data and 'to' for the projection.

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