collocation

Universal Words noun (linguistics) 1 [C] a combination of words in a language, that happens very often and more frequently than would happen by chance: 'Resounding success' and 'crying shame' are English collocations. 2 [U] the fact of two or more words often being used together, in a way that happens more frequently than would happen by chance: Advanced students need to be aware of the importance of collocation.