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dislocate

[dis-loh-keyt, dis-loh-keyt]
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verb (used with object), dis·lo·cat·ed, dis·lo·cat·ing
  1. to put out of place; put out of proper relative position; displace: The glacier dislocated great stones. The earthquake dislocated several buildings.
  2. to put out of joint or out of position, as a limb or an organ.
  3. to throw out of order; upset; disorder: Frequent strikes dislocated the economy.
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noun
  1. Gymnastics. a maneuver on the rings in which a gymnast in an inverted pike position turns over to swing down while pushing the arms out and turning them so that the palms are facing out when the body turns over.
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Origin of dislocate

1595–1605; < Medieval Latin dislocātus (past participle of dislocāre), equivalent to Latin dis- dis-1 + locātus placed; see locate
Related formsun·dis·lo·cat·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

disengage, disturb, disconnect, divide, separate, transfer, move, upset, misplace, break, disorder, remove, disunite, disjoint, jumble, shift, disrupt, unhinge, rummage, disarticulate

Examples from the Web for dislocate

Historical Examples

  • The latter did so with a vigor that threatened to dislocate the armor itself.

    Adrift on the Pacific

    Edward S. Ellis

  • Behold him then, rubbing and rubbing, in a way to dislocate the muscles of his arm and shoulder.

    Godfrey Morgan

    Jules Verne

  • "I can play the violin, and I can dislocate," said Mattia breathlessly.

    Nobody's Boy

    Hector Malot

  • As if he'd dislocate his jaw, His relatives all hasten where He waits them with a crafty air.

    Blacky the Crow

    Thornton W. Burgess

  • "If I could lay my hands on him, I'd dislocate him," said K, snapping his eyes.

    On a Donkey's Hurricane Deck

    R. Pitcher Woodward

British Dictionary definitions for dislocate

dislocate

verb (tr)
  1. to disrupt or shift out of place or position
  2. to displace (an organ or part) from its normal position, esp a bone from its joint
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dislocate

v.

c.1600, from earlier adjective or past participle dislocate "out of joint" (c.1400), from Medieval Latin dislocatus, past participle of dislocare "put out of place," from Latin dis- "away" (see dis-) + locare "to place" (see locate). Related: Dislocated; dislocating.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
dislocate in Medicine

dislocate

(dĭs′lō-kāt′, dĭs-lō′kāt)
v.
  1. To displace a body part, especially to displace a bone from its normal position.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.