dislocate

verb

dis·​lo·​cate ˈdis-lō-ˌkāt How to pronounce dislocate (audio)
-lə-;
(ˌ)dis-ˈlō- How to pronounce dislocate (audio)
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

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 Instead, Sharp and the others went from dolphin to dolphin, rolling those that were on their sides onto their bellies and then hand-digging the sand out from beneath the dolphins’ nine-inch pectoral fins so the appendages wouldn’t dislocate. Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 19 July 2024 Turner also dislocated his shoulder sometime before police arrived. Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 12 July 2024 The issue is Randle dislocated his shoulder on Jan. 27, an injury that ended his season after solid returns following the Dec. 30 Anunoby deal. Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 17 June 2024 But that nice legal argument does not obscure the fact that a disproportionate share of those dislocated are brown-skinned and Muslim. Lee Hockstader, Washington Post, 1 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for dislocate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dislocate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of dislocate was in 1601

Dictionary Entries Near dislocate

Cite this Entry

“Dislocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dislocate. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

dislocate

verb
dis·​lo·​cate ˈdis-lō-ˌkāt How to pronounce dislocate (audio)
(ˈ)dis-ˈlō-
1
: to put out of place
especially : to displace (a bone) from normal connections with another bone
2

Medical Definition

dislocate

transitive verb
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

More from Merriam-Webster on dislocate

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