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

• budge
• displace
• disturb
• move
• relocate
• remove
• reposition
• shift
• transfer
• transpose

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

Randle has been out since dislocating his shoulder Jan. 27. —Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 5 Apr. 2024

Just last July, for example, a man named Henry dislocated his shoulder after winning a game of Bonkers. —EW.com, 23 Mar. 2024

Kansas senior center Hunter Dickinson, who dislocated his right shoulder two weeks ago yet was able to play in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, shouldered the blame, so to speak, after the Jayhawks’ 89-68 second-round NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional loss to Gonzaga on Saturday afternoon at Delta Center. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2024

In addition to Heat guard Dru Smith being out for the rest of the season following knee surgery, guards Terry Rozier (sprained right knee) and Josh Richardson (dislocated right shoulder) also sustained injuries last week and missed the final two games before the break. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 18 Feb. 2024

Her twin sister Jasmine, and senior Sofi Majidi, added 3-pointers in the fourth en route to nine and six points, respectively. Streeter, who dislocated her knee cap on Wednesday night, played well off the bench before exiting late in the game. —Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 1 Mar. 2024

The move led to him dislocating his shoulders and fracturing his neck. —Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024

The courtroom marshal, Shane Brandon, charged Redden; Brandon dislocated his shoulder and sustained a face laceration, police said. —Dennis Romero, NBC News, 9 Jan. 2024

Brady, who missed the 2022-23 season after dislocating her patella in practice, is averaging 13.3 minutes per game and has played the most in UConn’s biggest matchups. —Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2024

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