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to dislocate

to dislocate

34 6.5
To move a bone out of its normal place in a joint
  • verb
  • /ˌdɪsloʊˈkeɪt/
translation icon : dislocar
  • During the game, he fell awkwardly and ended up dislocating his shoulder.
  • a dislocated shoulder
  • a dislocated joint

And as I'm pulling, completely dislocate my shoulder.

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Examples

  • So the good news is nothing's broken, but you did dislocate your shoulder pretty badly.

  • I dislocated my shoulder once.

  • I tried to stop it, but I think it dislocated my shoulder.

  • I think you dislocated your jaw.

  • And thank God, too, that two months earlier her mother had fallen and dislocated her hip.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Overall draft pick Ryan Murray dislocated his shoulder in a fall to the ice.

    Blog text (24)
  • I confirmed that baby L'lan has a dislocated hip, but I think we can treat that here.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Her left shoulder is dislocated, and her right elbow is also dislocated.

  • When one fighter complains of a dislocated shoulder, the doc climbs into the ring to examine him.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Showed up with a dislocated shoulder, facial fracture, ruptured spleen.

Synonyms

to slip
vsto dislocate
  • Specialized
36 7.2

To move out of its normal position, often causing pain

usually implies a forced action rather than an accidental move
to dislodge
vsto dislocate
15 6.1

To force something or someone out of a place where they are stuck

is specific to a bone or joint being moved out of its normal position
to luxate
vsto dislocate
  • Specialized
9.9

To move a bone or joint out of its normal position

is the common nontechnical term for the same action

Antonyms

159 2.5

To put something in a particular place carefully

How Displaced

to dislocate
34 6.5
to displace
140 5.5
slip
8 1.0
shift
363 3.5
move
167 1.0

Surface Forms

dislocate infinitive
dislocated past
dislocated past participle
dislocating present participle
dislocates third person singular

Morphology

dislocate = locate (semi-transparent) = dis + locate

The sense is fairly guessable as 'put out of place' from dis- plus locate, but learners who know only the common 'find' sense of 'locate' may not infer it fully.

Etymology

Dislocate comes from the parts dis- meaning 'apart' or 'away' and locate meaning 'place', the same root you see in location. So to dislocate a bone is to move it 'away from its place' in a joint, which is why the word means a bone is forced out of its normal position.