displace

verb

(ˌ)dis-ˈplās How to pronounce displace (audio)
Definition of displacenext
1
as in to remove
to change the place or position of the slight tremor displaced the dishes on the shelves, but didn't do any real damage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to relegate
to force to leave a country World War II displaced people all over Europe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to replace
to take the place of inefficient methods displaced by newer ones

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to depose
to remove from a position of prominence or power (as a throne) the CEO was summarily displaced after the hostile takeover

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word displace distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of displace are replace, supersede, and supplant. While all these words mean "to put out of a usual or proper place or into the place of another," displace implies an ousting or dislodging.

war had displaced thousands

When can replace be used instead of displace?

The synonyms replace and displace are sometimes interchangeable, but replace implies a filling of a place once occupied by something lost, destroyed, or no longer usable or adequate.

replaced the broken window

When is supersede a more appropriate choice than displace?

In some situations, the words supersede and displace are roughly equivalent. However, supersede implies replacing a person or thing that has become superannuated, obsolete, or otherwise inferior.

the new edition supersedes all previous ones

In what contexts can supplant take the place of displace?

While the synonyms supplant and displace are close in meaning, 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of displace Courts are not displaced; they are recalibrated. —Alejandro Reyes, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026 That same night, another fire broke out at a high-rise apartment in Dundalk, leaving more than a dozen people displaced. —Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026 Egypt has said the crossing must function in both directions and has pushed back against any use of Rafah as a mechanism to permanently displace Palestinians from Gaza. —Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 2 Feb. 2026 The country is racked by gang violence that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people. —Dallas Morning News, 2 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for displace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for displace
  1. remove
  2. relegate
  3. replace
  4. depose
  5. relocate
  6. banish
  7. supersede
  8. topple
Verb
  • Petrecca was thrust into the commentary role, replacing Auro Bulbarelli, who removed himself after spoiling the surprise arrival of Mattarella aboard one of the city’s trams.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
  • According to him, real-world deployment is a key step to removing the practical and technological bottlenecks that humanoids face today.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of remove
Verb
  • Our family photographs depicted us in beauty, power and wholeness, rejecting every image that attempted to relegate us to a stereotype.
    — Anya Sesay, jsonline.com, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Researchers have long assumed the bugs were mostly relegated to South Florida due to their need for particularly warm climates.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of relegate
Verb
  • While there is broad agreement that the nine-member presidential council should step aside after failing to make headway against gangs or oversee the organization of elections, consensus has broken down over what and who should replace it.
    — JACQUELINE CHARLES MIAMI HERALD, Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The suburbs have spread like a virus, replacing trees and foliage with concrete and stucco.
    — Felicia Feaster, AJC.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of replace
Verb
  • Mangione is being held pretrial at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, alongside deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
    — Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Plaintiffs have sought to depose Wexner based on his service on OSU’s board of trustees during a period when Strauss was under internal investigation and when his full-time employment with the university was terminated.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Definition of depose
Verb
  • The new store will create 17 additional jobs and will relocate 12 current employees to the new location.
    — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2026
  • According to a report by Swiss multinational investment bank UBS, 36% of its 87 billionaire clients surveyed had already relocated at least once in 2025, while another 9% were considering doing so.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
Definition of relocate
Verb
  • Who got banished on 'The Traitors'?
    — Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Imagine banishing stuffed animals from the living room, corralling all the toy cars outside the main bedroom, and finally finding a place for that play kitchen that isn’t your actual kitchen.
    — Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 11 Feb. 2026
Definition of banish
Verb
  • Thomas Edison previously attempted to improve this using nickel-iron chemistry to reach a 100-mile range, but the technology was ultimately superseded by internal combustion engines.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026
  • In October, authorities filed a superseding indictment against 21-year-old Baron Cain Martin of Arizona, accusing him of membership in 764 and other groups and exploiting children – including a 13-year-old girl who carved swastikas into her body at his direction.
    — Curt Devine, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of supersede
Verb
  • Bangladesh votes on Thursday in the first election since a Gen Z rebellion toppled an ageing autocrat – an uprising tens of millions of young people dreamt could chart a new course for their country.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
  • The latest files are threatening to topple the UK prime minister, but the fallout in Washington has so far been limited.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of topple

Browse Nearby Words

dispirits
displace
displaceable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Displace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/displace. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of displace for Spanish Speakers

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