that almost equals

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "that almost equals" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when comparing two quantities or values that are very close in amount or significance but not exactly the same. Example: "The total cost of the project is $1,000, which almost equals the budget we had set aside for it."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

It contributes to over 20% of the country's GDP – that almost equals total government spending.

Forbes

Parties have gone into an overdrive of grandstanding, brand-building and support mobilisation with an intensity that almost equals voter frustration against scams, corruption and underdevelopment.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

After that, almost equal intake of male and female students was adopted.

BMC Medical Education

It could be that, almost equal numbers of unfed mosquitoes were attracted by the odour but escaped to continue scavenging for blood source hence lower density of unfed An. gambiae s.l.l

BMC Infectious Diseases

Employees in agency shops are not required to join unions but are compelled to pay service fees that almost equal union dues, because nonunion employees benefit from union collective bargaining efforts just as much as union employees do.

Britannica

Similarly, Figure 4 depicts the results for the proposed VPNMN algorithm when the input signal is highly correlated and as can seen from this figure that almost equal performance is obtained by the VPNMN algorithm for the different noise statistics.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

A recent Gallup Poll ([2014a]) found that almost equal percentages of Americans believed in a young-earth creationist view of human origins (i.e., humans were created in their present form within last 10,000 years) (42%) vs. one where humans evolved from earlier organisms over millions of years (50%).

Evolution: Education and Outreach

I'm sure you and your advisors have seen the polls that have repeatedly shown that the vast majority of Americans (up to 85%) believe that our health care system needs to be "fundamentally changed and completely rebuilt," and that almost equal numbers are concerned that "access to medical tests and treatment would be more limited" as a consequence of health care reform.

Huffington Post

Collaborating pathologists in the three institutes were assigned to submit almost equal number of CNB cases of each score (score 0 or 1+, 2+, and 3+), for the purpose that almost equal number of HER2-negative, equivocal and positive cases were examined in the study.

BMC Cancer

By fully blocking the I NaL and I CaL at the same time in the hAdultV-CM model with the hiPSC-CM I NaCa formulation, an even larger APD90 reduction was achieved that almost equalled the shortening shown in hiPSC-CM after I CaL block (see in Figure S4 the magenta curve almost superimposed to the blue one).

British Journal of Pharmacology

But the issue goes beyond pique; as president-elect, Mr. Obama receives a level of Secret Service protection that is almost equal to that of a sitting president.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "that almost equals", ensure that the context clearly establishes what two quantities or values are being compared. It is most effective when the slight difference between them is meaningful to the discussion.

Common error

Avoid using "that almost equals" when the quantities being compared are, in fact, exactly equal. The phrase is designed to indicate a slight disparity, so using it when there is none would be misleading.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "that almost equals" functions as a comparative connector, indicating a near equivalence between two described quantities or concepts. Ludwig provides examples where the phrase bridges a known value to a comparative assessment, illustrating proximity in magnitude.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "that almost equals" is a phrase used to express a near equivalence between two quantities, values or concepts. While grammatically sound and relatively straightforward, the phrase is not overly common, and care should be taken to use it accurately to convey the intended meaning. As Ludwig AI points out, the phrase is acceptable in written English. The phrase functions as a connector, indicating a comparative relationship and is used in various contexts from news and media to scientific writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

that nearly equals

Replaces "almost" with "nearly", emphasizing the small difference.

that is approximately equal to

Substitutes "almost equals" with a more formal phrasing.

that is roughly equivalent to

Uses "roughly equivalent" to suggest an approximate comparison.

that is comparable to

Indicates a degree of similarity worth comparing, not necessarily a numerical equality.

that is on par with

Suggests the values or levels are similar or equivalent.

that is in the same ballpark as

Emphasizes an informal, approximate equality.

that approaches the level of

Highlights the closeness to a certain standard or amount.

that borders on being equal to

Implies that one thing is very close to being equal to another.

that mimics the equality of

Suggests a resemblance in quantity or quality.

that comes close to equaling

Highlights that one thing nearly reaches the level of equaling another.

FAQs

How can I use "that almost equals" in a sentence?

Use "that almost equals" to compare two values or quantities that are very close but not exactly the same. For instance, "The project cost $9500, that almost equals the initial budget of $10000."

What are some alternatives to "that almost equals"?

Alternatives include "that nearly equals", "that is approximately equal to", or "that is roughly equivalent to", depending on the level of formality and precision you want to convey.

Is it appropriate to use "that almost equals" in formal writing?

Yes, "that almost equals" is acceptable in formal writing, but using alternatives such as "that is approximately equal to" might be preferred in highly formal contexts where precision is paramount.

What's the nuance between "that almost equals" and "that equals"?

"That equals" indicates exact equivalence, whereas "that almost equals" suggests a near, but not perfect, equivalence. The choice depends on whether the quantities being compared are identical or just very close.