dislocate

verb

dis·​lo·​cate ˈdis-lō-ˌkāt 

-lə-;

(ˌ)dis-ˈlō- 

dislocated; dislocating; dislocates

transitive verb

1

: to put out of place

specifically : to displace (a bone) from normal connections with another bone

2

: to force a change in the usual status, relationship, or order of : disrupt

Synonyms of dislocate

• relocate
• move
• remove
• transfer
• shift
• disturb

Examples of dislocate in a Sentence

She fell and dislocated her shoulder.

The new hotel will dislocate several businesses.

Thousands of workers have been dislocated by the latest economic crisis.

Recent Examples on the Web

Wentz suffered a litany of shoulder injuries, as the veteran dislocated his shoulder, tore his labrum, and sustained a fractured socket, which required surgery. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 29 Nov. 2025

The Commanders are going to be without star quarterback Jayden Daniels, who remains out after dislocating his left elbow earlier in the season. —Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 28 Nov. 2025

Pribula, just one month after dislocating his ankle against Vanderbilt, made the start for the Tigers but was mostly unremarkable outside of leading an eight-minute scoring drive to start the game. —Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 23 Nov. 2025

McVay hinted at the possibility on Monday after the safety dislocated his left elbow injury against the Seahawks. —Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 20 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin dislocatus, past participle of dislocare, from Latin dis- + locare to locate

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

dislocate

verb

dis·​lo·​cate ˈdis-lō-ˌkāt 

(ˈ)dis-ˈlō-

1

: to put out of place

especially : to displace (a bone) from normal connections with another bone

2

: disrupt

Medical Definition

dislocate

transitive verb

dis·​lo·​cate ˈdis-lō-ˌkāt  -lə-; (ˈ)dis-ˈlō-ˌkāt 

dislocated; dislocating

: to put (a body part) out of order by displacing a bone from its normal connections with another bone

he dislocated his shoulder

also : to displace (a bone) from normal connections with another bone

the humerus was dislocated in the fall