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

Daniels attempted to chase him down, but cornerback Isaiah Rodgers shoved him to the ground and the quarterback landed on his left elbow — the one that was dislocated in Week 9 against the Seahawks. —Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 8 Dec. 2025

The rookie of last year dislocated his elbow last month. —Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025

Ten plays later, Daniels fell awkwardly on the elbow of his left, nonthrowing arm, dislocating it. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 Nov. 2025

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

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