tabulate

IPA/ˈtæbjuleɪt/
KK[tˈæbjəlˌet]IPA/ˈtæbjuleɪt/

tabulate — verb

  • tabulatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • tabulateshe / she / it
  • tabulatedpast simple
  • tabulating-ing form

1. to arrange facts, numbers, or other information into rows and columns so it can

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to arrange facts, numbers, or other information into rows and columns so it can be read and compared easily

Example

Naledi tabulated the survey responses before the morning meeting.

tabulate + noun (data object)

The research team tabulated patient recovery rates across all five hospitals.

Common collocations
  • tabulate data
  • tabulate results
  • tabulate figures
  • tabulate responses
  • tabulate votes
Synonyms
  • compile

    broader: gathering items together, not necessarily in table form

  • catalogue

    implies creating a systematic list, often with descriptions

  • chart

    suggests visual or graphical presentation, not just rows and columns

Grammar Patterns

tabulate + noun phrase

Common Mistakes

Can you make a tabulate of the scores?
Can you tabulate the scores?
'tabulate' is a verb; the noun form is 'tabulation.'

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Tabulate specifically means arranging data in a table with rows and columns. Compile is broader — you gather items from different sources into one collection, but not necessarily in table form (you compile a playlist, a report, or evidence). Catalogue implies creating a systematic list, often with descriptions and for reference purposes (a museum catalogues its artefacts). Chart suggests presenting data visually, often as a graph or diagram, rather than as a structured grid of numbers. If someone asks you to tabulate survey results, they expect a spreadsheet-like layout; if they ask you to chart them, they expect a bar chart or line graph.

compile ↗catalogue ↗chart ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • tabulated in order of
  • tabulated for comparison

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin tabula meaning 'board, plank, or writing tablet.' The verb 'tabulate' entered English in the early 18th century, originally meaning 'to shape into a flat surface.' By the late 19th century, its modern meaning of 'arranging data into a table' had become dominant, as record-keeping and statistics grew more systematic.

First known use

1734

1734, in the meaning defined at sense 2