echolocation

American  

[ek-oh-loh-key-shuhn] / ˌɛk oʊ loʊˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the general method of locating objects by determining the time for an echo to return and the direction from which it returns, as by radar or sonar.

2. Zoology. the sonarlike system used by dolphins, bats, and other animals to detect and locate objects by emitting usually high-pitched sounds that reflect off the object and return to the animal's ears or other sensory receptors.

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echolocation British  

/ ˌɛkəʊləʊˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. determination of the position of an object by measuring the time taken for an echo to return from it and its direction

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echolocation Scientific  

/ ĕk′ō-lō-kā′shən /

1. Sonar, especially of animals, such as bats and toothed whales.

2. See more at sonar

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Etymology

Origin of echolocation

First recorded in 1940–45; echo + location

Explanation

Echolocation is what some animals use to locate objects with sound rather than sight. Bats, for example, use echolocation to find food and avoid flying into trees in the dark. Echolocation involves making a sound and determining what objects are nearby based on its echos. Many animals use echolocation, including dolphins and whales, and humans do as well. Some blind people use taps or clicks and the resulting sound waves to navigate, and sonar uses echolocation to steer submarines through deep, dark water. The noun echolocation dates from the mid-twentieth century, a combination of echo, from the Greek ekhe, "sound," and location, with the Latin root locus, "a place."

Example Sentences

Each tag recorded extensive information, including motion data, video footage from a lighted camera, hydrophone audio of echolocation clicks, and GPS coordinates.

From Science Daily • Nov. 17, 2025

He describes the system as akin to echolocation, used by bats.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2025

Basically, where head position and forward eyes is thought to be important for the development of gaze following, in dolphins which use echolocation to recognize objects, it may have evolved in a different way.

From Salon • Sep. 13, 2024

Bats, as the main predator of night-flying insects, create a selective pressure that has led many of their prey to evolve an early warning system of sorts: ears uniquely tuned to high-frequency bat echolocation.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2024

“Bats go to work at night. They ‘see’ in the dark using a special skill called echolocation.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein