lo|cal ◆◆◆ /loʊ k ə l/ (locals )
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Local means existing in or belonging to the area where you live, or to the area that you are talking about. □ We'd better check on the match in the local paper. □ Some local residents joined the students' protest. □ I was going to pop up to the local library. ● N‑COUNT [usu pl] The locals are local people. □ That's what the locals call the place. ● lo|cal|ly ADV [ADV after v, ADV -ed] □ We've got cards which are drawn and printed and designed by someone locally.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Local government is elected by people in one area of a country and controls aspects such as education, housing, and transport within that area. □ Education comprises two-thirds of all local council spending.
3 N‑COUNT [usu sing, usu poss N ] Your local is a pub which is near where you live and where you often go for a drink. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ The Black Horse is my local.
4 ADJ A local anaesthetic or condition affects only a small area of your body. [MEDICAL ]
lo |cal area ne t|work (local area networks ) N‑COUNT A local area network is a group of personal computers and associated equipment that are linked by cable, for example in an office building, and that share a communications line. The abbreviation LAN is also used. [COMPUTING ] □ Users can easily move files between PCs connected by local area networks or the internet.
lo |cal autho r|ity ◆◇◇ (local authorities ) N‑COUNT A local authority is an organization that is officially responsible for all the public services and facilities in a particular area. [BRIT ] in AM, use local government
lo |cal co l|our in AM, use local color N‑UNCOUNT Local colour is used to refer to customs, traditions, dress, and other things which give a place or period of history its own particular character. □ The fishing boat harbour was usually bustling with lots of local colour.
lo|cale /loʊkɑː l/ (locales ) N‑COUNT A locale is a small area, for example the place where something happens or where the action of a book or film is set. [FORMAL ] □ [+ for ] An amusement park is the perfect locale for all sorts of adventures.
lo |cal go v|ern|ment (local governments )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Local government is the system of electing representatives to be responsible for the administration of public services and facilities in a particular area.
2 N‑COUNT A local government is the same as a local authority . [AM ]
lo|cal|ism /loʊ k ə l I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Localism is the belief that services should be controlled and provided, or goods produced and bought, within a local area for the benefit of people in that area. □ For all the talk of localism, power remains concentrated in the hands of central government.
lo|cal|ity /loʊkæ l I ti/ (localities ) N‑COUNT A locality is a small area of a country or city. [FORMAL ] □ Following the discovery of the explosives the president cancelled his visit to the locality.
lo|cal|ize /loʊ kəla I z/ (localizes , localizing , localized ) in BRIT, also use localise 1 VERB If you localize something, you identify precisely where it is. □ [V n] Examine the painful area carefully in an effort to localize the most tender point.
2 VERB If you localize something, you limit the size of the area that it affects and prevent it from spreading. □ [be V -ed] Few officers thought that a German-Czech war could be localized.
lo|cal|ized /loʊ kəla I zd/ in BRIT, also use localised ADJ Something that is localized remains within a small area and does not spread. □ She had localized breast cancer and both of her doctors had advised surgery.
lo |cal time N‑UNCOUNT Local time is the official time in a particular region or country. □ It was around 10.15 pm local time, 3.15 am at home.
lo|cate /loʊke I t, [AM ] loʊ ke I t/ (locates , locating , located )
1 VERB If you locate something or someone, you find out where they are. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] The scientists want to locate the position of the gene on a chromosome. □ [V n] We've simply been unable to locate him.
2 VERB If you locate something in a particular place, you put it there or build it there. [FORMAL ] □ [V n prep/adv] Atlanta was voted the best city in which to locate a business by more than 400 chief executives. □ [V prep/adv] Tudor Court represents your opportunity to locate at the heart of the new Birmingham.
3 VERB If you locate in a particular place, you move there or open a business there. [mainly AM , BUSINESS ] □ [V ] …tax breaks for businesses that locate in run-down neighborhoods.
lo|cat|ed /loʊke I t I d, [AM ] loʊ ke I t-/ ADJ [adv ADJ ] If something is located in a particular place, it is present or has been built there. [FORMAL ] □ [+ within ] A boutique and beauty salon are conveniently located within the grounds.
lo|ca|tion ◆◇◇ /loʊke I ʃ ə n/ (locations )
1 N‑COUNT A location is the place where something happens or is situated. □ The first thing he looked at was his office's location. □ Macau's newest small luxury hotel has a beautiful location.
2 N‑COUNT [with poss] The location of someone or something is their exact position. □ [+ of ] She knew the exact location of The Eagle's headquarters.
3 N‑VAR [oft on N ] A location is a place away from a studio where a film or part of a film is made. □ …an art movie with dozens of exotic locations. □ We're shooting on location.
loch /lɒ x, lɒ k/ (lochs ) N‑COUNT [oft in names] A loch is a large area of water in Scotland that is completely or almost completely surrounded by land. □ …twenty miles north of Loch Ness.