situate
Americanverb (used with object)
adjective
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of situate
1515–25; < Late Latin situātus situated, equivalent to Latin situ-, stem of situs site + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
When you situate something, you figure out where it should go or exactly where it is. You might, for example, use a compass to situate the hunting camp you're building on your grandfather's land. Your brother might decide to situate his drums in a far corner of the basement, where his banging is less likely to disturb the household. A land surveyor might use a GPS or satellite data to situate the boundaries of a particular property. In the 1530's, situate literally meant "to give a site to," from the Medieval Latin situare, "to place or locate," with the Latin root word situs, "place or position."
Vocabulary lists containing situate
We Dream of Space
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"Total Loss Weekend" by Don Delillo
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Concrete Rose
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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.
Callanan does two things every good biographer should: evoke the personality of the subject and situate him vividly in his environment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Melodramatic tropes, from the striking of over-the-top poses to thunderous piano underscoring during moments of rising tension, situate “Oh, Mary!” in a bygone theatrical universe.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2025
This computational approach leverages artificial intelligence to not only chart the immediate genetic responses of individual cells but also situate these responses within the physical and temporal landscape of the spinal cord.
From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 2024
His arguments to the Supreme Court, according to CNN, attempted to situate the issue as one that would impact both his "legal exposure" and that of all future presidents.
From Salon • Mar. 20, 2024
I hand her the cup of water and try to situate the washcloth on her forehead, but she pushes it away.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
