To triangulate means to find a location or verify information by using three different reference points or sources.

In navigation, ships and hikers triangulate their position by taking measurements from three known landmarks. If you can see a water tower, a church steeple, and a radio antenna, and you know where each one is on your map, you can draw lines from each landmark and see where they intersect. That intersection point reveals exactly where you are standing.

Surveyors use triangulation to measure distances and create accurate maps. By setting up instruments at three locations and measuring the angles between them, they can calculate precise distances even across valleys or mountains they can't measure directly.

The word also applies to checking facts. Smart researchers triangulate information by confirming a claim through three independent sources. If your friend tells you school is cancelled tomorrow, you might triangulate by checking the school website, asking another friend, and looking at your parents' email. Three sources agreeing makes you much more confident than just one.

Scientists triangulate data, detectives triangulate evidence, and even your phone uses triangulation with cell towers to figure out where you are for maps and directions.