GPS Definition, Pronunciation, and How to Use It

Meaning 1：satellite navigation system (GPS)

GPS 🔊

/ˌdʒiː piː ˈes/

A small computer that uses satellites to show where you are and help you find places.

GPS navigation map on smartphone showing route

satellite navigation system 🔊

➕

/ˈsætəlaɪt ˌnævɪˈɡeɪʃən ˈsɪstəm/

A small electronic device or app that receives signals from satellites to determine your exact location and provide directions.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Acronym for Global Positioning System.

💡 Mnemonic

Think 'Global Positioning System': It globally pinpoints your position using satellites.

📖 Example

I was driving to a new restaurant and my GPS guided me there without any wrong turns. 🔊 I was driving to a new restaurant and my GPS guided me there without any wrong turns.

🔗 Collocations

use GPS – Operate or rely on a global positioning system for navigation.

GPS signal – The radio wave transmitted by satellites that a GPS receiver locks onto.

GPS coordinates – A set of numbers representing a precise location on Earth, obtained from a GPS device.

🔄 Synonyms

navigation system (n.) – A device or system that helps determine position and course.

sat nav (n.) – Informal term for a satellite navigation device.

global positioning system (n.) – The full name of the technology that GPS abbreviates.

🌱 Derivatives

GPS-enabled (adj.) – Having the ability to receive and use GPS signals.

📖 Cultural Story

Developed by the U.S. Department of Defense in the 1970s, GPS was originally for military use and later opened for civilian navigation in the 1980s.