Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To move, shift, or force from the usual place or position.
  • transitive verb To force to leave a place of residence.
  • transitive verb To move or shift from the usual place or position, especially to force to leave a homeland or other place of residence.
  • transitive verb Chemistry To replace (an atom, radical, ion, or molecule) in a compound during a reaction.
  • transitive verb Physics To push aside and occupy the physical space of (a volume of fluid).
  • transitive verb To take the place of; supplant.
  • transitive verb To discharge from a job, office, or position.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To remove to a different place; put out of the usual or proper place: as, to displace books or papers.
  • To remove from any position, office, or dignity; depose: as, to displace an officer of government.
  • To disorder; disturb; spoil.
  • To take the place of; replace
  • Synonyms To dislodge, oust, dismiss, discharge.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To change the place of; to remove from the usual or proper place; to put out of place; to place in another situation.
  • transitive verb To crowd out; to take the place of.
  • transitive verb To remove from a state, office, dignity, or employment; to discharge; to depose.
  • transitive verb obsolete To dislodge; to drive away; to banish.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To move something, or someone, especially to forcibly move people from their homeland.
  • verb To supplant, or take the place of something or someone; to substitute.
  • verb of a floating ship To have a weight equal to that of the water displaced.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position
  • verb cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
  • verb cause to move, usually with force or pressure
  • verb take the place of or have precedence over

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

dis- +‎ place

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Examples

  • This new diplomacy will not in the short term displace traditional state-to-state diplomacy as practiced by foreign ministries, but it will impact the way those ministries do business.

    PD Line 2009

  • This new diplomacy will not in the short term displace traditional state-to-state diplomacy as practiced by foreign ministries, but it will impact the way those ministries do business.

    PD Line 2009

  • This new diplomacy will not in the short term displace traditional state-to-state diplomacy as practiced by foreign ministries, but it will impact the way those ministries do business.

    PD Line 2009

  • This new diplomacy will not in the short term displace traditional state-to-state diplomacy as practiced by foreign ministries, but it will impact the way those ministries do business.

    PD Line 2009

  • This new diplomacy will not in the short term displace traditional state-to-state diplomacy as practiced by foreign ministries, but it will impact the way those ministries do business.

    PD Line 2009

  • This new diplomacy will not in the short term displace traditional state-to-state diplomacy as practiced by foreign ministries, but it will impact the way those ministries do business.

    PD Line 2009

  • This new diplomacy will not in the short term displace traditional state-to-state diplomacy as practiced by foreign ministries, but it will impact the way those ministries do business.

    PD Line 2009

  • In a commentary for the Times newspaper today, Sorrell said that the emergence of the Internet would not "displace" other platforms, but would eventually be folded in.

    WPP's Sorrell Addresses Fears About Web Advertising 2006

  • In a commentary for the Times newspaper today, Sorrell said that the emergence of the Internet would not "displace" other platforms, but would eventually be folded in.

    Faces Of The Week: May 29-June 2, 2006 Forbes Faces Of The Week: May 29-June 2, 2006 Forbes.com staff 2006

  • The gist was that the Internet would not "displace" other platforms, but eventually be folded in.

    U.K. Faces Of The Week, May 29-June 3 Forbes.com staff 2006

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