interpolation
noun
in·ter·po·la·tion
in-ˌtər-pə-ˈlā-shən 
plural interpolations
1
a
: an act of interpolating something or the state of being interpolated : the introduction or insertion of something spurious or foreign
… versions disfigured by the frequent and substantial interpolation of freely invented matter …—
Bernard Knox
b
: something that is introduced or inserted : an insertion or addition
How can such interpolations be identified, and what literary processes led to these additions?—Jan Nattier
2
: the process of calculating an approximate value based on values that are already known
The age of tephras that were not directly dated was estimated by linear interpolation from the calibrated date.—Richard J. Payne and Jeffrey J. Blackford
Examples of interpolation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For interpolation tasks, where object stiffness fell within the training range, the system reduced position errors by at least 40 percent and force errors by 34 percent.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 14 Jan. 2026
This means that light is captured at every pixel location, without interpolation, allowing pictures to reveal finer detail when compared with sensors that record color.
—PC Magazine, 20 Nov. 2025
The 18-track, two-disc set was littered with guests — including big names like Chris Brown, Teddy Swims, 21 Savage and Doja Cat — but nearly as strewn with samples and interpolations from past R&B staples, with many of those originals seeing streaming bumps in the days following its release.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 19 Nov. 2025
Michael is credited as a co-writer on the track due to the melodic interpolation.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Interpolation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interpolation. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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