locator
n. countablen. a tool or person that helps you find where something is. You might use one to find a lost phone or a specific place on a map.
n. a person or device that identifies the position or site of something. Often used in technical contexts to describe software components or hardware sensors that track coordinates.
The store has a digital locator to help you find products.
The technician used a cable locator to find the underground wires before the construction crew started digging.
Modern web browsers include a built-in resource locator that allows users to navigate directly to specific files hosted on remote servers across the globe.
From Latin locātor. By surface analysis, locate + -or.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Often appears in compound nouns like 'store locator', 'resource locator', or 'emergency locator'.
Last updated May 11, 2026