displace
verb
dis·place
(ˌ)dis-ˈplās 
di-ˈsplās
displaced; displacing; displaces
1
a
: to remove from the usual or proper place
specifically
: to expel or force to flee from home or homeland
displaced persons
b
: to remove from an office, status, or job
c
obsolete
: to drive out : banish
2
a
: to move physically out of position
a floating object displaces water
b
: to take the place of (as in a chemical reaction) : supplant
Synonyms
Examples of displace in a Sentence
The war has displaced thousands of people.
The hurricane displaced most of the town's residents.
The closing of the factory has displaced many workers.
farming practices that displace large amounts of soil
Recent Examples on the Web
That money was dispersed between September and February to some 8,100 adults — a significant portion of the 12,000 people the state of Hawaii estimates were displaced.
—
Thalia Beaty, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
The NGOs effectively became individual fiefdoms that displaced government agencies.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2024
The right of first refusal offered by the for-cause protections is important, those supporters argue, because landlords can use expiring leases to displace tenants for a variety of nefarious reasons, like for discriminatory purposes or if a tenant has complained about an apartment’s condition.
—Seth Klamann, The Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2024
Since Hamas militants stormed into Israeli border communities, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, Israel’s retaliatory air and ground offensive has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaced more than 80% of the population of 2.3 million.
—Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024
A lot of people now are comparing what happened when they were displaced after October 7th with what happened in 1948.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2024
In 1942, the city officially approved Belvidere Hollow as a site for a new park, removing homes and displacing its remaining residents.
—Sarah Biegelsen, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
His ancestors were among the Native Americans forcibly displaced by the federal government.
—Jillian Steinhauer, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to launch a major ground operation in Rafah, which is home to more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, many of them displaced from other parts of the besieged and bombarded enclave.
—Erin McLaughlin, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Thalia Beaty, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
The NGOs effectively became individual fiefdoms that displaced government agencies.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2024
The right of first refusal offered by the for-cause protections is important, those supporters argue, because landlords can use expiring leases to displace tenants for a variety of nefarious reasons, like for discriminatory purposes or if a tenant has complained about an apartment’s condition.
—Seth Klamann, The Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2024
Since Hamas militants stormed into Israeli border communities, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, Israel’s retaliatory air and ground offensive has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaced more than 80% of the population of 2.3 million.
—Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024
A lot of people now are comparing what happened when they were displaced after October 7th with what happened in 1948.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2024
In 1942, the city officially approved Belvidere Hollow as a site for a new park, removing homes and displacing its remaining residents.
—Sarah Biegelsen, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
His ancestors were among the Native Americans forcibly displaced by the federal government.
—Jillian Steinhauer, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to launch a major ground operation in Rafah, which is home to more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, many of them displaced from other parts of the besieged and bombarded enclave.
—Erin McLaughlin, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'displace.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Displace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/displace. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
displace
verb
dis·place
(ˈ)dis-ˈplās
1
: to remove from a usual or proper place
especially
: to expel or force to flee from home or homeland
displaced persons
2
a
: to remove physically out of position
water displaced by a floating object
b
: to take the place of : replace
Medical Definition
displace
transitive verb
dis·place
(ˈ)dis-ˈplās
displaced; displacing
1
a
: to remove from the usual or proper place
in heterotopia the gray portions of the cord are displaced so that patches of gray matter are scattered among the bundles of white fibers—R. L. Cecil et al.
R. L. Cecil et al.
b
: to shift (an emotion or behavior) from a maladaptive or unacceptable object or form of outlet to a more adaptive or acceptable one
displace punishable behavior by directing it towards things that cannot punish—B. F. Skinner
B. F. Skinner2
: to set free from chemical combination by taking the place of
zinc displaces the hydrogen of dilute acids
3
: to subject to percolation
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