echolocation
noun
echo·lo·ca·tion
ˌe-kō-lō-ˈkā-shən 
: a physiological process for locating distant or invisible objects (such as prey) by sound waves reflected back to the emitter (such as a bat) from the objects
Examples of echolocation in a Sentence
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Over the years, our research team has learned a great deal from frog-eating bats about how sound and echolocation are used to find prey, as well as the role of learning and memory in foraging success.
—
Logan S. James, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2025
It was once thought that only blind people could excel at echolocation, but research has shown that anyone can learn the skill.
—Simon Makin, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2025
On the prey side, evidence has been found that the scales on some moths’ wings absorb sound waves from predatory bats to keep them from echolocation to find them.
—Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 22 Feb. 2025
The equipment sits on the turbine’s nacelle and emits ultrasonic sound between 20 and 50 kilohertz—the same frequencies North American bats use for echolocation.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Jan. 2018
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Logan S. James, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2025
It was once thought that only blind people could excel at echolocation, but research has shown that anyone can learn the skill.
—Simon Makin, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2025
On the prey side, evidence has been found that the scales on some moths’ wings absorb sound waves from predatory bats to keep them from echolocation to find them.
—Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 22 Feb. 2025
The equipment sits on the turbine’s nacelle and emits ultrasonic sound between 20 and 50 kilohertz—the same frequencies North American bats use for echolocation.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Jan. 2018
See All Example Sentences for echolocation
Cite this Entry
“Echolocation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/echolocation. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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echolocation
noun
echo·lo·ca·tion
ˌek-ō-lō-ˈkā-shən
: a process for locating distant or invisible objects by means of sound waves reflected back to the sender from the objects
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