displace
verb
dis·place
(ˌ)dis-ˈplās 
di-ˈsplās
displaced; displacing; displaces
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
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
But rate cuts might not be able to help ongoing structural changes in the labor market, like the risk of artificial intelligence displacing workers, noted Stefania Albanesi, an economics professor at the University of Miami and a former researcher at the Fed’s Minneapolis branch.
—
Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Over 90% of homes in Palestine are estimated to have been damaged or destroyed with the vast majority of the population displaced and requiring urgent aid.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025
Both displace massive amounts of water, which generate ocean waves that fan out from the quake’s epicenter or the volcano’s vent.
—George Petras, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Despite arguments by some councilmembers that the city had not conducted enough outreach to alert those who will be displaced by the new restrictions, many thought the ban was long overdue.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for displace
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Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Over 90% of homes in Palestine are estimated to have been damaged or destroyed with the vast majority of the population displaced and requiring urgent aid.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025
Both displace massive amounts of water, which generate ocean waves that fan out from the quake’s epicenter or the volcano’s vent.
—George Petras, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Despite arguments by some councilmembers that the city had not conducted enough outreach to alert those who will be displaced by the new restrictions, many thought the ban was long overdue.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for displace
Cite this Entry
“Displace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/displace. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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.
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
B. F. Skinner2
: to set free from chemical combination by taking the place of
zinc displaces the hydrogen of dilute acids
3
: to subject to percolation
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