displacement

noun

dis·​place·​ment (ˌ)dis-ˈplā-smənt 

di-ˈsplā-

1

: the act or process of displacing : the state of being displaced

a storm that caused the displacement of thousands of people

2

a

physics : the volume or weight of a fluid (such as water) displaced (see displace sense 2a) by a floating body (such as a ship) of equal weight

b

: the difference between the initial position of something (such as a body or geometric figure) and any later position

c

mechanical engineering : the volume displaced by a piston (as in a pump or an engine) in a single stroke

also, automotive vehicles : the total volume so displaced by all the pistons in an internal combustion engine

3

psychology

a

: the redirection of an emotion or impulse from its original object (such as an idea or person) to another

the displacement of his emotions

b

: the substitution of another form of behavior for what is usual or expected especially when the usual response is nonadaptive or socially inappropriate

called also displacement activity, displacement behavior

Synonyms

• banishment
• deportation
• exile
• expatriation
• expulsion
• relegation

Examples of displacement in a Sentence

The war has caused the displacement of thousands of people.

displacements in the Earth's crust

soil displacement caused by farming

Recent Examples on the Web

But what then? All rejected the displacement of Palestinian residents of Gaza outside the strip and an Israeli reoccupation, but who, exactly, would take political and economic responsibility for a flattened Gaza Strip? —Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2023

The first is that Israel has a history of producing anti-Palestinian propaganda, including that the Nakba — the violent event that founded Israel in 1948 through the displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians by Zionist militias — never happened. —Nicole Froio, refinery29.com, 12 Nov. 2023

The mass exodus follows a much larger displacement in the war’s first week, after Israel ordered more than 1 million people in northern Gaza to move south. —Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023

King Abdullah has spoken about his fears that Israeli-Gaza conflict could trigger a new displacement of Palestinians to the kingdom, home to a large population of Palestinian refugees and their descendants. —Summer Said, WSJ, 6 Nov. 2023

The letter said the summit overlooked the already real and present risks of AI, including discrimination, economic displacement, exploitation and other kinds of bias. —Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2023

The further displacement of Palestinians has also resulted from regional wars involving neither Palestinians nor Israelis. —Michael Vicente Perez, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2023

The forced displacement of civilian populations is considered a violation of international law. —Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023

The displacement of children is what spurred the activism of 25-year-old Farzana Faruk Jhumu, who since 2022 has been a UNICEF Bangladesh youth advocate. —Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Nov. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

see displace

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

displacement

noun

dis·​place·​ment -ˈplā-smənt 

1

: the act of displacing : the state of being displaced

2

a

: the volume or weight of a fluid (as water) displaced by a floating body (as a ship) of equal weight

b

: the difference between the first position of an object and any later position

c

: the volume displaced by a piston (as in a pump or engine) in a single stroke

also : the total volume displaced in this way by all the pistons in an internal-combustion engine (as of an automobile)

Medical Definition

displacement

noun

dis·​place·​ment -ˈplā-smənt 

1

a

: the act or process of removing something from its usual or proper place or the state resulting from this : dislocation

the displacement of a knee joint

b

: percolation sense 3

2

: the quantity in which or the degree to which something is displaced

3

a

: the redirection of an emotion or impulse from its original object (as an idea or person) to something that is more acceptable

b

: sublimation sense 2

c

: the substitution of another form of behavior for what is usual or expected especially when the usual response is nonadaptive

called also displacement activity, displacement behavior