locales

noun

plural of locale
1
as in locations
the area or space occupied by or intended for something we found an ideal locale for our annual picnic

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in settings
the place and time in which the action for a portion of a dramatic work (as a movie) is set the movie's locale is ambiguous, though the architecture and dress are suggestive of 19th-century Europe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of locales But Fleming's 007, and the onscreen Bonds who played out those stories, dispatched danger in exotic locales, and without rumpling the pleats on their dinner jackets. — Scott Simon, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026 And while suburban or rural locales might offer the luxury of space—a sprawling front yard for your 12-foot skeletons to roam free, for instance—in New York City, the limitations of scale just mean people have to get creative. — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026 Other locales include Victoria’s Secret stores at the Mall of Millennia in Orlando, Fifth Avenue in New York City and South Coast Plaza in California. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026 Hollywood jobs have been fleeing for years for cheaper filming locales, and the restaurant industry has been shaken by mounting closures. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Spain was also 4th with $550K at 298 locations in addition to Netherlands with $314K at 86 locales. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2026 Ancient myths and modern cinema depict bogs as sinister locales, dangerous to cross, and fatal to get trapped in. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 After all, the state just went through a high-stakes game of chicken with David Ellison, who threatened to move Paramount to locales like Tennessee or Texas if California kept pursuing him in court over his successful bid to acquire Warner Bros. — Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026 Dozens of locations in the central and southern US will soar to record high temperatures on Tuesday, but the incoming front will drag those highs down by more than 30 degrees in many locales by Friday or Saturday. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for locales
  1. locations
  2. settings
  3. venues
  4. scenes
  5. places
  6. sites
Noun
  • By integrating the launcher into a standard shipping container, the solution can be transported more easily, moved between locations, and incorporated into existing logistics and transportation networks.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • While the grocer has several locations across Los Angeles, its Beverly Hills outpost is the biggest scene and a tourist attraction in its own right, drawing visitors who make a point of stopping in to see what the hype is about.
    — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of locations
Noun
  • Norovirus is incredibly contagious and frequently reported in school settings, where children interact in close quarters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • This sleek device intelligently studies your daily temperature preferences and utilizes adaptive eco-settings to save energy automatically.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of settings
Noun
  • Japan’s network of independent arthouse venues, known locally as mini-theaters, is supported by experienced distributors of international cinema.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The New Braunfels, Texas, resident kept a frenetic touring schedule, headlining major Texas venues and mid-sized dance halls around the country, with occasional arena or amphitheater stops opening for Koe Wetzel thrown in.
    — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of venues
Noun
  • De Palma kept most of the novel’s key scenes intact in his adaptation, with a few changes.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • So all those main scenes and main effects and stuff were VFX and prosthetics, like the cheeks and everything.
    — Julius Miller, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of scenes
Noun
  • Two years ago, the judges ruled that cities can ban people from sleeping and camping in public places.
    — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In a city where change is constant — especially in the food and beverage scene — Charlotte’s classic restaurants are among the most beloved places to gather with family and friends or stop in for a comforting bite to eat.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of places
Noun
  • Those groups go to 63 third-party logistics sites this year, and each site stages the boxes for 25 to 30 stores before loading them onto trucks.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Nancy’s British father, Gerald Cadogan, is an academic and archaeologist, and much of her childhood was spent on excavation sites in Cyprus and Crete.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of sites

Browse Nearby Words

locale
locales
localism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Locales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/locales. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All