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Meaning & use

locate

verb·Academic

Last updated

UK/ləʊˈkeɪt/
US/ˈləʊkeɪt/

Meanings

  1. verbtransitive

    To find out exactly where someone or something is.

    Grammar: Takes an object: locate the leak. It is slightly more formal than find.

    Patterns

    • locate something
    • locate someone

    Rescue teams located the missing hikers by helicopter.

    Can you locate Peru on this map?

    Engineers are trying to locate the source of the noise.

  2. verbtransitive

    To place or build something in a particular spot.

    Grammar: Takes an object and often a place phrase, usually passive: the shop is located near the park.

    Patterns

    • locate something in somewhere
    • be located in somewhere

    The company decided to locate its factory near the port.

    The school is located on a quiet street.

    They plan to locate the new library downtown.

  3. verbintransitiveAmericanformal

    To settle or set up a business in a place.

    Grammar: No object; followed by a place: the firm located in Dallas.

    Patterns

    • locate in somewhere

    Many startups locate in cities with good transport.

    The family located in Ohio after the war.

    The company chose to locate abroad.

Word forms

third person singularlocates
past tenselocated
past participlelocated
-ing formlocating

Common combinations

locate the source
Technicians tried to locate the source of the fault.
be located in
The museum is located in the old town.
locate a missing
Police managed to locate a missing child.
easy to locate
The office is easy to locate from the station.
conveniently located
The hotel is conveniently located near the airport.

Synonyms and how they differ

find
Find is the common everyday verb and can mean stumbling across something, whereas locate suggests a deliberate search for a position.
pinpoint
Pinpoint implies finding the exact spot, so it is more precise than locate.
track down
Track down is informal and suggests chasing something that is hard to find.
situate
Situate is a formal word for placing something somewhere and is mostly used in the passive.

Opposites

losemisplace

Word family

location noun
the place where something is
locator noun
a device or person that finds a position
relocate verb
to move to a new place
dislocate verb
to put out of the normal position

Commonly confused: locate or allocate?

locate vs allocate

Allocate means to give out a share of money or resources, while locate means to find or place something.

Practice

The detective tried to ___ the witness who had left town.

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