1. to place or arrange side by side or in a particular position
Usage: formal
2. to occur together or in close association
Usage: linguistics

1. words that frequently appear together in natural language
Usage: linguistics; plural form

Examples

• The architect collocates the windows to maximize natural light.
• In English, the verb ‘make’ collocates with many nouns like ‘decision’ and ‘mistake’.
• Strong collocates help language learners sound more natural.
• The words ‘heavy’ and ‘rain’ are common collocates.
• Teachers often focus on verb-noun collocates in writing lessons.
• The software identifies which words collocate most frequently.
• Students should learn collocates rather than memorizing individual words.