dislocate

verb

dis·​lo·​cate ˈdis-lō-ˌkāt How to pronounce dislocate (audio)
-lə-;
(ˌ)dis-ˈlō- How to pronounce dislocate (audio)
dislocated; dislocating; dislocates
Synonyms of dislocatenext

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

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
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.
Hall dislocated his ankle and fractured the fibula in his right leg in the opener against the Commanders. — Rick Stroud, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2025 The injury occurred during the matchup when Murphy dove on the floor for a loose ball and dislocated his shoulder. — William Guillory, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025 The dog was hit by a car, and her hip was dislocated. — Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 13 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 See All Example Sentences for dislocate

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of dislocate was in 1601

Browse Nearby Words

dislocable
dislocate
dislocatedly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dislocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dislocate. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

dislocate

verb
dis·​lo·​cate ˈdis-lō-ˌkāt How to pronounce dislocate (audio)
(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 How to pronounce dislocate (audio) -lə-; (ˈ)dis-ˈlō-ˌkāt How to pronounce dislocate (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on dislocate

Nglish: Translation of dislocate for Spanish Speakers

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