tabulate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
adjective
-
shaped like a table or tablet; tabular.
-
having transverse septae, as certain corals.
verb
-
Also: tabularize. to set out, arrange, or write in tabular form
-
to form or cut with a flat surface
adjective
-
having a flat surface
-
(of certain corals) having transverse skeletal plates
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tabulate
1590–1600; (adj.) < Late Latin tabulātus, past participle of tabulāre to fit with planks, floor; table, -ate 1; (v.) < Latin tabul ( a ), for table + -ate 1
Explanation
To tabulate information is to organize it into a table. If your friend borrows money from you every week, you might want to tabulate what she owes you. Tabulating is a way of processing information or data by putting it in a table. This doesn't mean the kind of table you eat off of, though. It refers to a table, or chart, with rows and columns. When tabulating, you might have to make calculations. Someone who enjoys tabulating financial information might make a good accountant.
Vocabulary lists containing tabulate
The Giver
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!
Lifting as We Climb
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!
"Journeys," Vocabulary from Lesson 7
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.
It is part of the Labor Department but operates independently, relying on nonpartisan staff economists who tabulate the numbers without input from the commissioner, the agency’s only political appointee.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
The former was the first census in which a computer was used to tabulate the data.
From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025
It has 20 scanners to tabulate ballots, all of which will be running on election night.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2024
Scanners read the QR code to tabulate ballots.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 6, 2024
In addition, I mentioned factors disqualifying big mammalian candidates for domestication, but I did not tabulate how many candidates are disqualified by each factor on each continent.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
