verb
locate
LOH-kayt/ˈləʊkeɪt/
To find or identify where something is.
The woman locates the missing keys beneath the sofa with a flashlight.
Etymology
Locare meant to put something in a place, rather than to discover it. Through fixing positions and marking land boundaries, locate developed the sense of finding out exactly where something is.
In context
Second, a surveyor can be retained to locate on the ground a boundary line which has there to fore been established.
More examples
- Can you locate the nearest hospital on this map?
- The plumber located the leak behind the kitchen wall.
- This app helps me locate my phone when I misplace it.
Forms
locate · locates · located · locating
location noun — The place where someone or something is.
Similar words
- find
- Broader; can mean discovering something without identifying its position.
- pinpoint
- Emphasizes identifying an exact spot rather than a general area.