displacement

[ dis-pleys-muh nt ]

/ dɪsˈpleɪs mənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR displacement ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of displacing.

the state of being displaced or the amount or degree to which something is displaced.

Physics.

the displacing in space of one mass by another.
the weight or the volume of fluid displaced by a floating or submerged body.Compare Archimedes' principle.
the linear or angular distance in a given direction between a body or point and a reference position.
the distance of an oscillating body from its central position or point of equilibrium at any given moment.

Machinery, Automotive.

the volume of the space through which a piston travels during a single stroke in an engine, pump, or the like.
the total volume of the space traversed by all the pistons.

Nautical. the amount of water that a vessel displaces, expressed in displacement tons.

Geology. the offset of rocks caused by movement along a fault.

Psychoanalysis. the transfer of an emotion from its original focus to another object, person, or situation.

electric displacement.

Nearby words

dispiteous, displace, displaced, displaced homemaker, displaced person, displacement, displacement activity, displacement current, displacement hull, displacement ton, displacement tonnage

Origin of displacement

First recorded in 1605–15; displace + -ment

Related forms

pre·dis·place·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for displacement

For those who escape direct physical injury, there remain the ill effects of displacement and deprivation.
Palestinian Kids’ PTSD Could Last Generations|Russell Saunders|August 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The daily killing and displacement of civilians have not led to an international agreement to stop the conflict.
After 3 Years of Brutal War Syria is Still Burning, but the World’s Attention Seems to Have Moved On.|Abdulhamid Qabbani|March 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Palestinians call their displacement from Syria “a second Nakba,” Ellis said.
In Syria, Palestinian Refugees Made Refugees Again|Matt Surrusco|October 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The bloodiest instance of displacement occurred in Turkman Gate, a slum whose inhabitants were overwhelmingly Muslim.
Hold Onto Your Penis|David Frum, Justin Green|November 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST

This, from a country that lives with its own ghosts of dispossession and displacement.
Canada And The Palestinians|Mira Sucharov|November 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
When we could no longer see, the usual levitations, violent knocking, and displacement of furniture had their own way.
Metapsychical Phenomena|J. Maxwell
She presented no evidence of local uterine congestion, inflammation, ulceration, or displacement.
Sex in Education|Edward H. Clarke
The value of gravity is assumed approximately constant, and independent of the particle's displacement.
The Energy System of Matter|James Weir
The law of atmospheric resistance is as the area of displacement, and the velocity with which that displacement is effected.
Gunnery in 1858|William Greener
The amount of the displacement, as measured by the vertical distance between the ends of a parted layer, is the throw (cd).
The Elements of Geology|William Harmon Norton

British Dictionary definitions for displacement

displacement

/ (dɪsˈpleɪsmənt) /

noun

the act of displacing or the condition of being displaced

the weight or volume displaced by a floating or submerged body in a fluid

chem another name for substitution

the volume displaced by the piston of a reciprocating pump or engine

psychoanal the transferring of emotional feelings from their original object to one that disguises their real nature

geology the distance any point on one side of a fault plane has moved in relation to a corresponding point on the opposite side

astronomy an apparent change in position of a body, such as a star

maths the distance measured in a particular direction from a reference pointSymbol: s

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

Medicine definitions for displacement

displacement

[ dĭs-plās′mənt ]

n.

Removal from the normal location or position.

A defense mechanism in which there is an unconscious shift of emotions, affect, or desires from the original object to a more acceptable or immediate substitute.

A chemical reaction in which an atom, a radical, or a molecule replaces another in a compound.

Science definitions for displacement

displacement

[ dĭs-plās′mənt ]

Chemistry A chemical reaction in which an atom, radical, or molecule replaces another in a compound.

Physics A vector, or the magnitude of a vector, that points from an initial position (of a body or reference frame) to a subsequent position.

The weight or volume of a fluid displaced by a floating body, used especially as a measurement of the weight or bulk of ships.

The volume displaced by a single stroke of a piston in an engine or pump.

Geology

The relative movement between the two sides of a geologic fault.
The distance between the two sides of a fault. Also called dislocation