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

• 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

Jones completed 10 of 21 passes for 144 yards and avoided turnovers, while Richardson completed 2 of 3 passes and then came out of the game after dislocating his right pinkie. —Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025

During a preseason game at Baltimore, Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson dislocated a pinkie finger amid his competition to hold on to the starting job. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 9 Aug. 2025

The Frenchman had broken his radio and dislocated his shoulder in an earlier crash. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 July 2025

Nikki then revealed that her breast implant was dislocated in the Monday, July 28, match between herself and Piper Niven on WWE's Monday Night Raw. —Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 2 Aug. 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