GPS

1 of 2

noun

ˌjē-(ˌ)pē-ˈes 

: a navigational system using satellite signals to fix the location of a radio receiver on or above the earth's surface

also : the radio receiver so used

GPS

2 of 2

abbreviation

gallons per second

Examples of GPS in a Sentence

Noun

The car comes with GPS.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

At one point, Jessie befriends a gang of tech toys that includes a low-tech potty-training product named Smarty Pants, along with GPS and camera devices Atlas and Snappy. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 26 June 2026

Elias Van Ekelenburg, with the nonprofit Safety Center in Sacramento, is allowing parents and their teens to try out a GPS technology called Intelligent Speed Assistance. — James Taylor, CBS News, 24 June 2026

After years of analyzing GPS and seismic data, Park and her colleagues found that waves from the earthquake had traveled down to Earth’s core and then rebounded to the crust, displacing four major tectonic plates. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 23 June 2026

Those sensors would give the military GPS-independent navigation in conflict zones and the ability to detect underground infrastructure from space. — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 23 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Global Positioning System

First Known Use

Noun

1974, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

GPS

noun

ˌjē-ˌpē-ˈes

: a navigation system that uses satellite signals to find the location of a radio receiver on or above the earth's surface

also : a radio receiver used in a GPS system

Etymology

Noun

Global Positioning System