displace

/dis'pitiəs/
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Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Verb:
    • To cause something or someone to move from its usual or proper place: This is the core meaning, involving physical relocation, often with a sense of force or compulsion.
    • To remove someone from a job or position of authority: To discharge, dismiss, or force someone out of a role.
    • To take the place of something; to supplant: To replace something, often causing the original thing to be removed or become obsolete.
Usage and Examples
  • Physical Movement/Relocation:
    • The earthquake displaced several large boulders. (The earthquake caused the boulders to move from their original positions.)
    • The new dam project will displace thousands of villagers. (The project will force the villagers to leave their homes.)
  • Removal from a Position:
    • The CEO was displaced by the board of directors. (The board removed the CEO from his position.)
    • New technology often displaces workers with outdated skills. (The technology replaces workers, forcing them out of their jobs.)
  • Taking the Place of Something:
    • Streaming services have largely displaced traditional cable TV. (Streaming services have taken the place of cable TV.)
    • In many ecosystems, invasive species displace native ones. (The invasive species supplant the native species.)
Advanced Usage
  • "Displaced person": A specific term for someone forced to flee their home, especially due to war, persecution, or disaster, but who has not crossed an international border (cf. "refugee").
    • The camp provides shelter for displaced persons from the conflict zone.
  • In Physics/Engineering: To indicate the volume or weight of a fluid pushed aside by an object.
    • A ship displaces an amount of water equal to its own weight.
Variants and Related Words
  • Displacement (noun):
    • The act of displacing or the state of being displaced.
    • The war caused the mass displacement of civilians.
    • In physics, it refers to the vector quantity representing change in position.
  • Displaceable (adjective): Capable of being displaced.
Synonyms
  • Move, shift, relocate (for physical movement).
  • Remove, oust, dismiss, fire (for removal from a position).
  • Replace, supplant, supersede (for taking the place of something).
Antonyms
  • Place, position, install (for the act of putting something somewhere).
  • Hire, appoint, retain (for keeping or giving a position).
  • Preserve, maintain (for keeping something in its original state or place).
Related Phrases and Contexts
  • "Displaced aggression": A psychological term for redirecting anger or hostility from its original source to a safer or more available target.
    • After being criticized by his boss, he showed displaced aggression by yelling at his colleague.
  • In a social/political context: Often used to describe populations forced to move due to conflict, development, or environmental factors.
    • Climate change is expected to displace millions of people in coastal regions.
Verb
  1. 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
  2. terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position
    • The boss fired his secretary today
    • The company terminated 25% of its workers
  3. 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
  4. cause to move, usually with force or pressure
    • the refugees were displaced by the war