dislocation

American  

[dis-loh-key-shuhn] / ˌdɪs loʊˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

• dislocations
  plural

1. an act or instance of dislocating.

2. the state of being dislocated.

3. Crystallography. (in a crystal lattice) a line about which there is a discontinuity in the lattice structure.

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dislocation British  

/ ˌdɪsləˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of displacing or the state of being displaced; disruption

2. (esp of the bones in a joint) the state or condition of being dislocated

3. a line, plane, or region in which there is a discontinuity in the regularity of a crystal lattice

4. geology a less common word for fault

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dislocations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dislocation

1350–1400; Middle English dislocacioun; see dislocate, -ion

Compare meaning

How does dislocation compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• subluxation vs. dislocation

Explanation

Abruptly moving something (or someone) out of its usual place is dislocation. Cutting down the oak tree in your back yard will cause the dislocation of the birds that always build their nests in it. The word dislocation has several different meanings, but they all have something to do with displacement, moving something from its proper place. A joint dislocation happens when a bone is moved (painfully) out of its normal spot: "A common trampoline injury is elbow dislocation." Human dislocation can occur during war, or after a natural disaster forces people to move away from their homes. The Latin root is dislocare, "put out of place."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dislocation dislocations

A dislocation in pricing then, can and probably will persist.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

The way their vocals are processed, it often seems like they are recording in a room somewhere far away from where the instruments are being played, which reinforces the songs’ sense of dislocation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

“When that arm goes into that position, the brain remembers that was the position where that dislocation occurred,” ElAttrache told the Los Angeles Times at the time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

All other asset segments are materially higher because there has been such a dislocation of vessels and origination points.

From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026

The left wheel strikes a stone and he hears, or thinks he does, a bump that may be the dislocation of his trunk.

From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison

These approaches produced limited results because they did not create enough high-density dislocations inside the intermetallic.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

For CoAl to become plastic at room temperature, the material needs a large number of these dislocations.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

Their oil production businesses gain if inventories keep falling and crude prices rise, while their refineries, trading desks, chemical plants, and logistics networks can profit from the dislocations created by the war.

From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026

“There will be dislocations in markets that will allow us to act,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

Still, I reason, this sudden removal to an unknown state is not all that different from the kinds of dislocations that routinely segment the lives of the truly poor.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Related Words

• confusion
• disarray
• disconnection
• disorder
• disruption
• disturbance