collocate

UK: /ˈkɒləˌkeɪt/ US: /ˈkɑləˌkeɪt/ ,(kol′ə kāt′)

Inflections of 'collocate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

collocates

v 3rd person singular

collocating

v pres p

collocated

v past

collocated

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

col•lo•cate /ˈkɑləˌkeɪt/   v., -cat•ed, -cat•ing. 

1. [~ + object] to arrange in proper order, esp. side by side.
2. Linguistics (of a word) to be arranged with another word or phrase, esp. as a common occurrence: [~ + with + object]
   The word look collocates with the word at in the phrase look at.
   [no object]
   The words look and at collocate.

col•lo•ca•tion /ˌkɑləˈkeɪʃən/  n. 

[uncountable] the study of collocation.

[countable] a dictionary with the most common collocations.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

col•lo•cate  (kol′ə kāt′), v., -cat•ed, -cat•ing, n. 
v.t. 

1. to set or place together, esp. side by side.
2. to arrange in proper order:
   to collocate events.

v.i. 

3. Linguistics to enter into a collocation.

n. 

4. Linguistics a lexical item that collocates with another.

• Latin collocātus (past participle of collocāre), equivalent. to col- col-¹ + loc(us) place + -ātus -ate¹
• 1505–15

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

collocate / ˈkɒləˌkeɪt/ verb

1. (transitive) to group or place together in some system or order

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin collocāre, from com- together + locāre to place, from locus place