I. map 1 S2 W2 /mæp/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Medieval Latin ; Origin: mappa , from Latin , 'cloth, towel' ]
1 . a drawing of a particular area, for example a city or country, which shows its main features, such as its roads, rivers, mountains etc
map of
a map of Mexico City
According to the map we should turn left.
on a map
I’m just trying to find Vancouver on the map.
2 . a drawing of an area showing some kind of special feature, for example the type of rocks, weather, population etc SYN chart :
an archaeological map of the area
the colour weather map in the newspaper
political map (=one showing where political parties have power, or where countries are)
3 . put something on the map to make a place famous:
It was the Olympic Games that really put Seoul on the map.
4 . off the map informal a long way from any large town:
It’s a small place in Nebraska. Right off the map.
⇨ wipe something off the map at ↑ wipe 1 (8)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ look at a map
She stopped the car to look at the map.
▪ read a map (=look at and understand the information on a map)
He drove while I read the map.
▪ study a map (=look carefully at a map)
They studied the map before setting out.
▪ draw a map
He drew me a map of the route.
▪ check a map ( also consult a map formal ) (=look at a map to get information)
I don't know how to get to Berlin without consulting a map.
▪ be marked on a map (=put a mark or symbol on a map to show where something is)
The path is clearly marked on the map.
▪ find something on a map
I managed to find the village on the map.
▪ spread out/unfold a map
We spread out our maps on the floor.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + map
▪ detailed
a detailed map of the city
▪ accurate
a modern, accurate map of the district
▪ large-scale (=showing a small area in a lot of detail)
a large-scale map of Paris
▪ a road map
a road map of Texas
▪ a street map
There's a street map outside the town hall.
▪ a tourist map
The museum is marked on most tourist maps.
▪ an Ordnance Survey map British English (=a map showing the roads, paths, hills etc of an area in detail)
■ phrases
▪ the contours on a map (=the lines on a map showing the height of mountains and valleys)
Contours on the map are given in feet.
II. map 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle mapped , present participle mapping ) [transitive]
1 . to make a map of a particular area:
He spent the next fifteen years mapping the Isle of Anglesey.
2 . to discover or show information about something, especially about its shape or arrangement, or how it moves or works:
The points at which stress and anxiety emerge can be mapped.
map onto something phrasal verb
to match something or have a direct relationship with something
map something ↔ out phrasal verb
to plan carefully how something will happen:
Her own future had been mapped out for her by wealthy and adoring parents.