echolocate

American  

[ek-oh-loh-keyt] / ˌɛk oʊˈloʊ keɪt /

verb (used with object)

1. to identify where something is located based on the time it takes an echo to return and the direction from which it returns, a specialized technique used by a number of animals, including dolphins and bats.

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Etymology

Origin of echolocate

First recorded in 1940–45 as a radar term; echo ( def. ) + locate ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

echolocate

Shame the film drops it in the first 10 minutes, especially given all the metal footsteps he could echolocate on the ship.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

So owners compete to lure the swiftlets by playing recordings of the clicking sounds they make as they echolocate.

From New York Times ● Apr. 2, 2024

Bottlenose dolphins possess impressive senses, not least of which is their bat-like ability to echolocate — or blast soundwaves to detect prey and other objects.

From Salon ● Dec. 1, 2023

For years, bats were divided into two groups: big fruit bats, which don’t generally echolocate, and small bats that hunt by sound.

From Science Magazine ● Jan. 26, 2022

Today they make up roughly 25 percent of mammal species, and although some bats rely solely on vision to hunt, most of them echolocate.

From Scientific American ● Jan. 10, 2022