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

The dog was hit by a car, and her hip was dislocated. —Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025

Godwin dislocated his ankle in a loss to the Ravens just seven weeks into the season and was on track for yet another stellar season. —Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025

For the Texans, Kirk’s addition makes sense considering Tank Dell, their speedy, young receiver, is likely to miss the entire 2025 season after tearing an ACL, MCL and LCL and dislocating his kneecap in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in December. —Scott Thompson, Fox News, 6 Mar. 2025

Literally, our one sort of brute strength person had his whole shoulder dislocated on the first day. —Dalton Ross, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025

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