Natural Collocations for 'Triangulate' at Work

Common patterns include triangulate the estimate, triangulate across sources, and triangulate a claim with sources.

Put the claim or conclusion after the verb. Then add a phrase for the separate sources.

Put the conclusion after the verb

Triangulate can take a direct object. The object says what you are checking.

• triangulate the estimate
• triangulate the location
• triangulate what happened
• triangulate a claim

Each object names a conclusion, question, or point to determine. The object names what is being checked.

"The team triangulated the estimate."

This pattern is grammatical. Its full meaning depends on several sources being named or understood. If readers do not know the sources, add them.

Add the sources with a phrase

You can introduce the separate inputs with with, using, from, or across.

"Analysts triangulate a claim with several sources."

The object is a claim. The phrase with several sources names the inputs used for the check.

"The team triangulated across several sources."

This pattern puts the focus on the comparison. The thing being checked may already be clear from the surrounding text.

The approved patterns can be combined in several ways:

• triangulate the estimate using several sources
• triangulate a claim with several sources
• triangulate what happened from separate accounts
• triangulate the location across several inputs

The grammar can change, but the meaning does not. Several separate inputs must address one conclusion.

Avoid a bare label

Do not use triangulate as a bare label when no compared sources are named or understood.

"We triangulated it."

This short sentence can work only when the earlier context makes both parts clear. Readers need to know what it means and which sources were compared.

Without that context, name the object and the compared sources. A fuller version names the object and the source phrase.

"We triangulated the claim with several sources."

This version shows what was checked and how the check worked.

Choose the pattern from the message

Start with the detail your reader needs most. Use a direct object when the conclusion is the main point. Use across sources when the comparison itself is the main point. Add a source phrase when readers need to know the inputs.

You can build the sentence in two short steps:

1. Write triangulate plus the conclusion.
2. Add the separate inputs with a source phrase.

For example, begin with triangulate the estimate. Then add using several sources. The finished sentence contains both the object and the method.

Practice scenarios

Practice using triangulate in situations like these.

• putting an estimate directly after the verb
• adding several sources with with or using
• using across sources when the conclusion is already clear

Practice these useful phrases.

• "We need to triangulate the estimate using ___."
• "They triangulated the claim with ___."
• "The team triangulated across several sources."

A clear object names the conclusion. A clear source phrase names the comparison.

Put the claim first. Add the inputs next.