collocation: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Academic, linguistic, language teaching, formal business (e.g., branding, content strategy). Neutral in specialist contexts.
Quick answer
What does “collocation” mean?
The habitual, natural co-occurrence of words, especially when one word predictably appears with another in a way that sounds 'right' to native speakers.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The habitual, natural co-occurrence of words, especially when one word predictably appears with another in a way that sounds 'right' to native speakers.
1) In corpus linguistics, a statistically significant tendency of words to co-occur. 2) In language teaching, a key component of lexical competence, where knowing a word includes knowing its typical partners.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning or use. The term itself is used identically in linguistic and pedagogical contexts.
Connotations
Neutral technical term in both varieties.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in UK academic corpora due to the strong tradition of lexical syllabuses (e.g., Michael Lewis's 'Lexical Approach').
Grammar
How to Use “collocation” in a Sentence
N/A for this noun. The term describes patterns between other words.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “collocation” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- Linguists collocate words to analyse their statistical relationships.
- The software can collocate all instances of 'climate' in the corpus.
American English
- Researchers collocate terms to find common phrases.
- The program collocates 'startup' with words like 'tech', 'funding', and 'founder'.
adverb
British English
- The words are collocationally linked.
- She studies how adverbs collocationally modify adjectives.
American English
- These terms appear collocationally significant in the data.
- The model predicts collocationally probable sequences.
adjective
British English
- The collocational strength of 'utterly' and 'devastated' is very high.
- He has good collocational knowledge for an intermediate learner.
American English
- The collocational patterns differ between US and UK tabloids.
- A collocational analysis revealed the key themes.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in marketing ('brand collocations' - what words our brand name typically appears with), content strategy, and SEO ('keyword collocation analysis').
Academic
Central term in corpus linguistics, lexicography, second language acquisition (SLA), and language teaching methodology.
Everyday
Rare in everyday conversation. Used mainly by language teachers, advanced learners, and linguists.
Technical
Precise statistical definition in corpus linguistics (e.g., measured by Mutual Information score, t-score).
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “collocation”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “collocation”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “collocation”
- Confusing 'collocation' with 'compound word' (e.g., 'blackboard' vs. 'black bird').
- Using it to describe any two words that appear together, rather than those with a statistically significant or idiomatic link.
- Pronouncing it as /kəʊlə'keɪʃən/ (like 'collocate' the verb).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Idioms have non-literal meanings (e.g., 'kick the bucket'). Collocations are literal but predictable partnerships (e.g., 'heavy rain'). Some idioms are also fixed collocations.
They are key to natural-sounding fluency. Using correct collocations (e.g., 'make a decision', not 'do a decision') is often more important for impression than perfect grammar.
Learn them as chunks, not single words. Use a collocation dictionary. Notice patterns when reading/listening. Group them by key word (e.g., all collocations with 'take': take a photo, take a break, take responsibility).
Most are shared, but notable differences exist (e.g., UK: 'have a bath', US: 'take a bath'; UK: 'do the washing up', US: 'do the dishes'). Always check in a corpus or dictionary flagged for variety.
The habitual, natural co-occurrence of words, especially when one word predictably appears with another in a way that sounds 'right' to native speakers.
Collocation is usually academic, linguistic, language teaching, formal business (e.g., branding, content strategy). neutral in specialist contexts. in register.
Collocation: in British English it is pronounced /ˌkɒl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌkɑː.ləˈkeɪ.ʃən/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “N/A. 'Collocation' is a meta-linguistic term describing other phrases; it is not itself an idiom.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'co-location' – words that are 'located together' frequently. Or, 'COLLeagues at a LOCATION' – they habitually work together.
Conceptual Metaphor
WORDS ARE COMPANIONS (e.g., 'These words are frequent companions', 'They keep company together').
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the BEST example of a strong collocation?