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

But after all of that talk of a 127 Hours-style rescue, Avery merely has to dislocate the woman’s elbow to dislodge her arm and bring her safely to shore. —Claire Franken, TVLine, 24 Oct. 2024

This was a period when the boundary between public and private was being redrawn, not only with the onslaught of handheld cameras but also, more broadly, because of the dislocating forces of what historians call the Second Industrial Revolution. —Ben Tarnoff, The New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2024

Randle averaged 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists through 46 games last season before dislocating his right shoulder in late January and later opting for season-ending surgery. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2024

But one of the three newer arrivals, a large, adult female named Yippee, arrived with a broken and dislocated jaw. —Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 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