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Meaning & use

location

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ləʊˈkeɪʃn/
US/loʊˈkeɪʃn/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    The place where something or someone is found or where an event happens.

    Grammar: Countable: a good location, three locations.

    Patterns

    • the location of something
    • in a location

    The restaurant's location near the station makes it popular.

    Police have not revealed the location of the missing car.

    Please send me the exact location of the meeting.

  2. nouncountable or uncountable

    A real place outside a studio where a film or show is recorded.

    Grammar: Uncountable in the phrase on location.

    Patterns

    • on location
    • film on location

    The movie was shot on location in Morocco.

    The crew scouted a dozen locations before choosing the farm.

    We spent six weeks on location in the mountains.

  3. noununcountableformal

    The act of finding where something is, or the process of discovering its position.

    Grammar: Formal and technical; often followed by of.

    Patterns

    • the location of something

    The location of the leak took hours.

    Satellites assist in the location of ships at sea.

    Early location of the fault saved the airline money.

  4. nouncountableAmerican

    A branch or site of a business, such as one of several shops or offices.

    Grammar: Chiefly American; a business with many locations.

    Patterns

    • a new location
    • a second location

    The bakery opened a second location downtown.

    The company has forty locations across the state.

    Visit our nearest location for a free quote.

Word forms

plurallocations

Common combinations

prime location
The hotel has a prime location by the beach.
on location
The documentary was filmed on location in Peru.
exact location
The exact location of the treasure remains unknown.
convenient location
The office is in a convenient location near the bus stop.
remote location
They chose a remote location for the retreat.
share your location
Share your location so I can find you.

Synonyms and how they differ

place
Place is the everyday word, while location sounds more precise and technical.
site
Site suggests a place used for a specific purpose, such as a building site.
position
Position stresses where something stands in relation to other things.
venue
Venue is limited to a place chosen for an event, like a concert.

Word family

locate verb
to find, or to place somewhere
located adjective
situated in a particular place
locational adjective
relating to location, rarely used
relocate verb
to move to a new place
local adjective
belonging to a particular area

Commonly confused: location or allocation? location or situation?

location vs allocation

An allocation is a share or amount given out, not a place.

location vs situation

A situation is a set of circumstances, not a physical place.

Practice

The film crew spent three months shooting ___ in the desert.

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