displace meaning and definition

DISPLACE verb

Definition of displace (verb)

1. cause to move, usually with force or pressure
   • "the refugees were displaced by the war"
2. take the place of or have precedence over
   • "live broadcast of the presidential debate preempts the regular news hour"; "discussion of the emergency situation will preempt the lecture by the professor"
   • synonyms: preempt
3. terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position
   • "The boss fired his secretary today"; "The company terminated 25% of its workers"
   • synonyms: can, dismiss, fire, force out, give notice, give the axe, give the sack, sack, send away, terminate
   • antonym: employ
4. cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
   • "Move those boxes into the corner, please"; "I'm moving my money to another bank"; "The director moved more responsibilities onto his new assistant"
   • synonyms: move