locate
locate — verb
1. to be found at some specific spot — such as a building standing on a certain str
to be found at some specific spot — such as a building standing on a certain street, a town lying beside a river, or an office situated in a district.
The hotel is located near the main train station, just five minutes away on foot.
be located + near [place]
Mira's new office is located on the top floor of the building overlooking the river.
The old library was located at the corner of Park Street and Elm Avenue.
A large supermarket will be located in the new shopping complex by next spring.
- situated
More formal, often used in writing about buildings or towns
- found
Less precise, more general (e.g. 'you can find us on the third floor')
- positioned
Emphasises deliberate placement rather than just being present
- placed
Suggests someone put it there on purpose
文法句型
be located + in/at/near/on + [place]
用法筆記
Almost always used in the passive form 'be located + preposition'. The active form ('Something locates somewhere') is very rare in modern English and may sound unnatural.
常見錯誤
2. to discover or determine where something or someone is, especially through searc
to discover or determine where something or someone is, especially through searching, using equipment, or following clues — for example, finding a lost phone by tracking its signal, or pinpointing a gas leak in a building.
The rescue team used a drone to locate the missing hikers before nightfall.
locate + [person] — searching for people
Kevin tried to locate his phone by calling it from a friend's mobile.
Engineers worked through the night to locate the source of the gas leak.
The police used GPS data to locate the stolen car within two hours.
- find
Less formal and more general; suitable for everyday situations
- pinpoint
Implies very precise location, often using technology or careful analysis
- track down
Suggests a longer search process with multiple steps
- discover
Broader — can mean finding something unknown, not just its position
文法句型
locate + [thing/person being searched for]
用法筆記
This is the active, transitive sense. Unlike sense 1 ('be located'), this sense does NOT use the passive form to describe position — it describes the action of finding.
常見錯誤
3. to go and stay in one spot to run a business, set up operations, or live on a mo
to go and stay in one spot to run a business, set up operations, or live on a more permanent basis — for example, a company opening a new factory in another country, or a family deciding to settle in a small town.
Many tech startups have decided to locate in the new innovation district near the university.
locate + in [area] — for business
The company plans to locate its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore next year.
After years of traveling, Tuan and his partner decided to locate permanently in a small seaside town.
Several international banks have located their regional offices in Dubai because of the favourable tax environment.
- relocate
Not a true antonym — it means to move from one place to another, rather than settling for the first time
文法句型
locate + in [place]
locate + at [place]
locate + object + in [place]
locate + object + at [place]
用法筆記
When used for business, this sense is often transitive with a direct object (the office, the headquarters). When used for settling, it is usually intransitive. The collocation 'locate + in + [place]' is the most common grammatical pattern.