locate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to identify or discover the place or location of.
to locate the bullet wound.
-
to set, fix, or establish in a position, situation, or locality; place; settle.
to locate our European office in Paris.
-
to assign or ascribe a particular location to (something), as by knowledge or opinion.
Some scholars locate the Garden of Eden in Babylonia.
-
to survey and enter a claim to a tract of land; take possession of land.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
(tr) to discover the position, situation, or whereabouts of; find
-
(tr; often passive) to situate or place
located on the edge of the city
-
(intr) to become established or settled
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of locate
An Americanism first recorded in 1645–55; from Latin locātus “placed,” past participle of locāre “to put in a given position, place,” verb derivative of locus “a place”; see locus
Explanation
If you wanted to decide where to locate your car wash, you might locate a spot on a map with lots of traffic, a parking lot, and a ready source of water. Locate means to find or place. If your mother can never locate her keys, it means she loses them all of the time and has to look all around the house before going out. If you move to a new place, usually for a job, you relocate. But if you decide to find a job that is located in your town, you call that staying local, which, like locate, derives from the Latin locus meaning "place."
Vocabulary lists containing locate
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary of the Common Core
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 51-60
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If the brain started as a true tabula rasa, with no built-in connections, neurons would first need to locate and connect with one another.
From Science Daily • May 3, 2026
The U.S. has greatly expanded its domestic surveillance system, using a high-tech dragnet to locate, track and deport people residing illegally in the country.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
Bode explained that she had been unable to locate her virtual boarding pass for her connecting flight, so she approached the crew at the gate for assistance.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026
Operation Armorum has also seen police in Turkey locate and freeze high-value assets linked to the Lyons group.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
You discovered how to avoid quicksand and how to locate streams in otherwise parched land.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
