1. The insertion of something (such as words, data, or values) into a text, document, or sequence where it did not originally exist.
Usage: Usually plural; refers to multiple instances of insertion or the inserted material itself
2. In mathematics and statistics, the estimation of unknown values that fall between known data points.
Usage: technical; commonly used in data analysis and numerical methods
3. In textual criticism, passages or words believed to have been added to a text by someone other than the original author.
Usage: academic; used in literary and biblical scholarship

Examples

• The editor noted several interpolations in the medieval manuscript that were not part of the original work.
• Scientists used interpolations to estimate temperature values between their measurement points.
• The document contained obvious interpolations that suggested it had been altered over time.
• Linear interpolations helped the engineers fill in missing data from their sensor readings.
• Scholars debated whether certain passages were original text or later interpolations.
• The software performed interpolations to smooth the graph between the collected data points.