geolocation

noun

geo·​lo·​ca·​tion ˌjē-ō-lō-ˈkā-shən 

1

plural geolocations : a position or site determined by telecommunications data transmitted to or from devices at that location

used the IP address to find the geolocation of the lost laptop

… it is critical that accurate geolocations are determined for each lidar.

—Rob K. Newsom et al.

To maintain access to the European market … farmers in major growing and exporting nations like Vietnam and Ethiopia are preparing to provide geolocation data about the provenance of their crops.

—Ephrat Livni

2

: the act or process of determining the geolocation of a device (such as a smartphone or computer server) capable of transmitting or receiving data

… the reality of 21st-century road trips is that they are almost too safe, what with geolocation and packs of Instagram influencers.

—Alexandra Jacobs

Examples of geolocation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There have been complaints about FanDuel Sportsbook’s geolocation checks and frequent auto-logouts. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

More recently, researchers developed a newer method of geolocation that uses atmospheric pressure to circumvent these limitations. — Stephanie Szarmach, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026

The online services see only IP addresses with good reputations and geolocations that don’t stand out. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026

New Jersey, Virginia, Oregon and Connecticut also recently banned the sale of some categories of sensitive data, including geolocation data. — Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

geo- + location

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined at sense 1