as in to shift
to change one's position most babies begin to locomote—by crawling—when they are seven to ten months old

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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 locomote So, those are (roughly in order) the hands, the sensory apparatus like vision and haptics and sound and so on, and the ability to locomote to get the hands to work. IEEE Spectrum, 16 May 2023 This study provides a better understanding of the interactions between the foot and the terrain and opens up to new way to design soft robots able to locomote on unstructured terrains. IEEE Spectrum, 8 May 2020 Parents of babies up to age 3 can watch their children locomote on tatami mats or haul themselves up on their jellied legs by holding on to short, fence-like partitions. New York Times, 9 June 2022 The simulated and real robots can use shape change to switch between rolling gaits and inchworm gaits, to locomote in multiple environments. IEEE Spectrum, 23 Jan. 2023 All reasonably healthy individuals can locomote at the necessary speed to beat the cutoffs for any ultramarathon. Jason Koop, Outside Online, 19 July 2017 The general idea of this research is to get robots to learn to locomote in much the way human toddlers do. Matt Simon, Wired, 5 Jan. 2021 The idea of connecting to our ancestral past requires us to locomote as we are evolved to do, using our senses and making sure the mind and body are in union. Bill Hatcher, National Geographic, 28 Feb. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for locomote
Verb
  • Since the 2000s, Fox's focus has shifted from acting to working tirelessly toward a cure for Parkinson’s after being diagnosed with the disease in 1991 at age 29.
    Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 26 July 2025
  • Their deadline outlook has seemingly shifted in the last couple of weeks due to the resurgence.
    Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
Verb
  • The implant was allegedly moved when Niven, 34, elbowed Nikki mid-fight.
    Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 2 Aug. 2025
  • Mary, a young scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey, had resigned and moved across the country to start a job in the private sector.
    E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • This is why after a snake is killed, its body will still twitch and move around, and why its head can still bite.
    Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 July 2025
  • At times, Woods reminds me of 2025 Cleveland Browns first-rounder Mason Graham, with the quickness and twitch to play just about anywhere along a defensive front and the power/hand speed to be a three-down weapon at either spot inside.
    Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 10 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Locomote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/locomote. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.

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