Skip to main content
to displace

to displace

140 5.5
To make a person leave their usual place or job
  • verb
  • /dɪsˈpleɪs/
translation icon : desplazar
  • The introduction of robots in the factory may displace some human workers.
  • internally displaced
  • displaced people
  • displaced persons

China's rightful place was on top, displacing America as the superpower.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • During the military conflicts, millions of Kurds were displaced and fled to Turkey, Iran, and Iraq.

    Academic text (2011)
  • When people built stations, they tended to displace the birds and seals that used those locations.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Yes, so I know that these right here will displace a little bit of water.

  • AI will displace social drinking within five years.

  • Yeah, because it's so big, it displaces all that air.

  • Urban renewal led to the building of highways through the district, displacing Black families.

  • A "me-first" attitude and the desire to get rich quickly have displaced traditional and democratic values.

    Academic text (1999)
  • According to Human Rights Watch, Colombia has the fourth-largest internally displaced population in the world.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The hurricane will displace many residents from their homes in the affected area.

  • The floodwaters displaced families from their houses, forcing them to seek shelter elsewhere.

Synonyms

to move
vsto displace
1.0

Change position or place

often implies causing someone to leave their usual place or role
to remove
vsto displace
1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

adds the idea of causing departure often by replacing or removing
to fire
vsto displace
2.8

To officially make someone leave their job

is more general, covering displacement in many contexts
to take out
vsto displace
948 1.9

To remove something from a place or container

is more specific about causing departure by replacing or removing roles
to replace
vsto displace
305 1.8

Put something back where it belongs

is about causing someone to leave rather than restoring something
to step aside
vsto displace
129 3.4

Move out of the way or leave a job so someone else can take it

usually involves causing leaving often by replacement or removal rather than volunteering
to terminate
vsto displace
  • Formal
90 5.5

To make someone stop working for a company

is wider, including physical or role removal beyond employment
to dismiss
vsto displace
70 3.3

To remove someone from their job

is broader, used for any leaving from place, role, or position
to vacate
vsto displace
52 4.5

Leave a place or job so it is free for someone else

adds that the action causes someone to leave often by replacement
to force out
vsto displace
46 4.4

To make someone leave a job by pressure or threats

is broader, causing departure often by replacing or removing
to send away
vsto displace
43 3.0

Make someone leave a job or group because of a problem

is broader, also covering removal from places or replacement
to uproot
vsto displace
38 4.4

To pull a plant out of the ground or force people to leave home

is similar but also covers replacement or changing of roles
to sack
vsto displace
  • UK
37 3.5

To make someone leave their job

is broader, applying to leaving roles, places, or being replaced
to move out
vsto displace
36 2.8

To make someone or something leave a place

adds the sense that leaving is often due to replacement or removal
to can
vsto displace
  • Informal
33 7.7

To fire someone from their job in informal speech

is more formal and broader, not only informal dismissal
to depose
vsto displace
31 7.4

To remove a leader from office, often by force

is wider, applying to any place, role, or position removal
to supplant
vsto displace
23 7.5

To take the place of a person or thing because the new one is better

focuses more on causing departure, not only on taking the place
to reposition
vsto displace
23 3.9

To move something to another place

is about causing departure or replacement of people or roles
to unseat
vsto displace
19 6.2

Remove someone from a position of power, often in politics

is general, used for leaving many types of positions or places
to dislodge
vsto displace
15 6.1

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

is more general, covering many kinds of removal or replacement
to dethrone
vsto displace
5 6.7

To remove a king or queen from power and their position

is more general and applies to many roles beyond rulership
to dislocate
vsto displace
4 5.7

To move something from its normal place and make it stop working or fitting

is broader, meaning to cause leaving or replacement beyond dysfunction
to give notice
vsto displace
  • Formal
2 4.1

Formally tell an employee that their job will end

is about causing departure itself rather than the formal notice process
to unroot
vsto displace
8.2

Make people leave their home and feel lost

covers leaving usual place or role without the emotional uprooting element
to give the axe
vsto displace
  • UK
7.4

To suddenly end someone's job or a relationship, often without warning

focuses more broadly on causing leaving or replacement rather than suddenness
to give the sack
vsto displace
  • UK
5.9

To tell someone they must leave their job

is the general action of causing departure, not just slang dismissal

Antonyms

1.0

To put something in a particular position or job

60 3.0

To hold something inside so it does not escape

How Removed

to oust
80 6.2
to supplant
23 7.5
to remove
1.5
to displace
140 5.5
to move
1.0
to shift
683 2.0

Surface Forms

displace infinitive
displaced past
displaced past participle
displacing present participle
displaces third person singular

Morphology

displace = place (semi-transparent) = dis + place

The relation to 'place' is clear, but the extended sense of forcing someone out of a role or home is not fully predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Displace is made of dis- ('away') and place ('position' or 'spot'), so it literally means to move something 'away from its place'. That's why to displace someone is to make them leave their usual place or role.