displaced

American  

[dis-pleyst] / dɪsˈpleɪst /

adjective

1. lacking a home, country, etc.

2. moved or put out of the usual or proper place.

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noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. Usually the displaced persons who lack a home, as through political exile, destruction of their previous shelter, or lack of financial resources.

   After the earthquake, the displaced were temporarily housed in armories.

Other Word Forms

• undisplaced adjective

Etymology

Origin of displaced

First recorded in 1565–75; displace + -ed ²

Example Sentences

More than 1.2 million people have been displaced, or one in five of the population, most of them from Shia Muslim communities.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

So far, more than 1,300 people have been killed in Lebanon, with more than 1 million people displaced, the Lebanese government says.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Compared with workers who lost jobs in more stable occupations, Goldman’s researchers said that displaced workers in jobs hit by technological shifts—such as telephone operators and typists—suffered both short- and long-term economic impacts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Tens of thousands of people have left Tyre, but around 20,000 remain, including 15,000 displaced from surrounding villages, despite Israeli evacuation warnings covering most of the city and a broad swathe of the south.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

They were ecstatic to learn the three of us were in a displaced persons camp.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson