displace

verb

dis·​place (ˌ)dis-ˈplās 

di-ˈsplās

displaced; displacing; displaces

transitive verb

1

a

: to remove from the usual or proper place

specifically : to expel or force to flee from home or homeland

displaced persons

b

: to remove from an office, status, or job

c

obsolete : to drive out : banish

2

a

: to move physically out of position

a floating object displaces water

b

: to take the place of (as in a chemical reaction) : supplant

displaceable

(ˌ)dis-ˈplā-sə-bəl 

di-ˈsplā-

adjective

Synonyms

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

Choose the Right Synonym for displace

replace, displace, supplant, supersede mean to put out of a usual or proper place or into the place of another.

replace implies a filling of a place once occupied by something lost, destroyed, or no longer usable or adequate.

replaced the broken window

displace implies an ousting or dislodging.

war had displaced thousands

supplant implies either a dispossessing or usurping of another's place, possessions, or privileges or an uprooting of something and its replacement with something else.

was abruptly supplanted in her affections by another

supersede implies replacing a person or thing that has become superannuated, obsolete, or otherwise inferior.

the new edition supersedes all previous ones

Examples of displace in a Sentence

The war has displaced thousands of people.

The hurricane displaced most of the town's residents.

The closing of the factory has displaced many workers.

farming practices that displace large amounts of soil

Recent Examples on the Web

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to launch a major ground operation in Rafah, which is home to more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, many of them displaced from other parts of the besieged and bombarded enclave. —Erin McLaughlin, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024

About 2,400 households — nearly all in underserved communities where flood insurance coverage is low — were affected by the disaster, and about half of those were displaced, according to data collected by the county and verified by federal officials. —Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024

The derailment — which spilled more than a million pounds of hazardous chemicals into the soil, water and air — displaced hundreds of residents and businesses. —Alexandra Banner, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024

The United Nations reports mass graves and gang rapes, 18 million people at risk of starvation, and almost 10 million displaced within the country in addition to the 1.8 million who have fled to neighboring states such as Chad and South Sudan, which are themselves in dire straits. —Andreas Kluth, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024

Ten people were taken to hospitals and 30 were displaced after an apartment complex fire Sunday afternoon in Covina, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. —Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024

Einstein’s theory gives an equation for how much the Sun’s gravity would displace the images of background stars. —Rebecca Boyle, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024

In Gaza, over 33,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's offensive, which has flattened large swaths of the enclave and internally displaced most of Gaza's 2.3 million people, about half of whom are under 18 years old. —Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024

Over 125 million people were injured, made homeless, displaced or evacuated during the the time frame. —Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably from Middle French desplacer, from des- dis- + place place

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

displace

verb

dis·​place (ˈ)dis-ˈplās 

1

: to remove from a usual or proper place

especially : to expel or force to flee from home or homeland

displaced persons

2

a

: to remove physically out of position

water displaced by a floating object

b

: to take the place of : replace

displaceable

-ə-bəl 

adjective

Medical Definition

displace

transitive verb

dis·​place (ˈ)dis-ˈplās 

displaced; displacing

1

a

: to remove from the usual or proper place

in heterotopia the gray portions of the cord are displaced so that patches of gray matter are scattered among the bundles of white fibers

—R. L. Cecil et al.

b

: to shift (an emotion or behavior) from a maladaptive or unacceptable object or form of outlet to a more adaptive or acceptable one

displace punishable behavior by directing it towards things that cannot punish

—B. F. Skinner

2

: to set free from chemical combination by taking the place of

zinc displaces the hydrogen of dilute acids

3

: to subject to percolation