relocate
Americanverb (used with object)
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relocates,
present (3rd person singular)
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relocated,
past participle, past
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relocating
present participle
verb (used without object)
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relocates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
relocated,
past participle, past
-
relocating
present participle
verb
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to move or be moved to a new place, esp (of an employee, a business, etc) to a new area or place of employment
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(intr) (of an employee, a business, etc) to move for reasons of business to a new area or place of employment
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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relocatesimple
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relocatessimple
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have relocatedperfect
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has relocatedperfect
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am relocatingprogressive
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are relocatingprogressive
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is relocatingprogressive
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have been relocatingperfect progressive
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has been relocatingperfect progressive
Past
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relocatedsimple
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had relocatedperfect
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was relocatingprogressive
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were relocatingprogressive
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had been relocatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of relocate
Explanation
When you relocate, you move to a new location and settle into a new place. If you live in New York City but you get a job in Phoenix, you'll have to relocate to Arizona to start your new career. The word relocate came into English in the 1800s from re, meaning "back, again," and locate, meaning "to settle." Relocate refers not only to moving to a new place but also to establishing yourself there. It typically involves finding a new place to live, making new friends, finding your way around your new town or city — even getting cable TV installed. For some people, this can be an exciting adventure; for others, it's a daunting challenge of to-do lists.
Vocabulary lists containing relocate
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Carmarthenshire Council issued Wale with an enforcement notice alleging he had broken planning rules, but he has been given more time to relocate the animals.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
“Not that many people want coffee table art books,” said Margit Novack, founding president of the National Association of Senior and Specialty Move Managers, a professional group helping older adults organize, declutter, downsize and relocate.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Top delegates to the Pacific talks will hold a one-day retreat on low-lying Tuvalu, a small island nation laying plans to relocate the population if it is consumed by the ocean.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
The company is headquartered in Irvine but has plans to relocate its corporate offices back to Baldwin Park by 2029.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
"He's going to relocate the factory to a town in Czechoslovakia and take us with him."
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
Prince Harry, who relocates back to Britain shortly with his family, will open a new chapter in his ever-eventful life which once seemed improbable amid royal feuds, battles over security and lawsuits against UK tabloids.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
If a family relocates, say, for a better job, they can carry their assistance with them within a given region.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Outcast Henry's life fails to improve when his family relocates to Hawkins, where he spends his free time hanging out with spiders in an attic.
From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025
In the new show, Reagan relocates to Boston and eventually teams up with Det.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025
General Douglas MacArthur, the officer in charge of the United States Army Forces in the Far East, abandons his home in Manila and relocates to the fortified island of Corregidor.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Pelland and her husband later moved two hours away to Wilmington, N.C., where they now live near their daughter, who also relocated to the area.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Paul, his wife Lauren, their daughter Story Annabelle, and their son, Ryden Caspain, relocated from Los Angeles to Paris in 2025, following the devastating California wildfires.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
The criminal charge came a week after the Pasadena Humane Society announced that the rare white fowl had recovered from its injuries and was relocated to a private ranch in Northern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
James Wale relocated to the rural Carmarthenshire site two years ago, having previously run a rare bird business in Pembrokeshire.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
With our few bags of belongings, we went to a hotel in Burundi, where we stayed for a week with other families who would be relocated.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
When you move abroad, you are relocating that life.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Options under discussion include buying a U.S.-based financial institution and relocating, merging with a European rival or selling itself to a U.S. firm seeking its well-heeled clientele, the people familiar with the matter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
A September survey by the Gradus research company found that 40% of Ukrainians were considering relocating if living conditions continued to deteriorate; 35% said they would not move elsewhere, while 25% were undecided.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Klitschko said residents with friends or relatives outside Kyiv should consider temporarily relocating -- repeating a suggestion that had triggered a backlash last year.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Recently, Momma’d made a fuss about our relocating, and that fuss got louder and turned into an almost-argument after our last move.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
