relocate

American  

[ree-loh-keyt, ree-loh-keyt] / riˈloʊ keɪt, ˌri loʊˈkeɪt /

verb (used with object)

relocates, present (3rd person singular) relocated, past participle, past relocating present participle

1. to move (a building, company, etc.) to a different location.

   plans to relocate the firm to Houston.

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verb (used without object)

relocates, present (3rd person singular) relocated, past participle, past relocating present participle

1. to change one's residence or place of business; move.

   Next year we may relocate to Denver.

relocate British  

/ ˌriːləʊˈkeɪt /

verb

1. to move or be moved to a new place, esp (of an employee, a business, etc) to a new area or place of employment

2. (intr) (of an employee, a business, etc) to move for reasons of business to a new area or place of employment

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• relocation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• relocating
  present
• relocated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• relocate
  simple
• relocates
  simple
• have relocated
  perfect
• has relocated
  perfect
• am relocating
  progressive
• are relocating
  progressive
• is relocating
  progressive
• have been relocating
  perfect progressive
• has been relocating
  perfect progressive

Past

• relocated
  simple
• had relocated
  perfect
• was relocating
  progressive
• were relocating
  progressive
• had been relocating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will relocate
  simple
• will have relocated
  perfect
• will be relocating
  progressive
• will have been relocating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of relocate

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; re- + locate

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

relocate relocates relocated relocating

Meanwhile, novels about urbanites who relocate to a rural outpost are almost invariably antic accounts of dopiness rewarded.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Others described preparing to either relocate or close entirely.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Oxygen loss can reduce or relocate their prey, damage habitats and alter the food webs they depend on.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

In an email sent to residents on Monday, Persimmon said it "strongly recommended that all residents temporarily relocate" due to the "high fire risk identified within the building".

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

In December, Meng tells me we will relocate to Long Deang to live on a houseboat with one of Eang’s sisters and her family in the lower end of the Mekong Delta.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

This family drama, his latest “Yellowstone” spinoff, stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell, Matthew Fox and Patrick J. Adams in the story of a New York clan that relocates to a Montana river valley.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026

Qiu's research suggests pollution is shifting west as heavy industry relocates to regions like Xinjiang, and that some cities in China have seen double-digit percentage increases in PM2.5 in the last five years.

From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 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 Paris, a public-private partnership, SEM Paris Commerces, relocates small businesses to empty storefronts, cultivating commercial strips that are far more interesting for strolling than scrolling.

From Slate ● Nov. 26, 2024

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

Railroad company CSX covered a $1.6 million loss on the sale of its chief operating officer’s house when he relocated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Around 700 people left their homes as a precaution in Le Porge, where more than 3,000 campers were also relocated, the prefecture said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Before I relocated to the Pacific Northwest, I had only seen whales and other wildlife common to this region on TV.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

The TV executive noted that he was putting the home on the market only because he had relocated to Miami and no longer needed it.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

Must be from the part of the third floor that hadn’t relocated to this level.

From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau

They say relocating the bears doesn’t work because they either come right back or cause the same problems elsewhere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Elite netball teams are relocating from sports halls to major arenas, and players are noticing a difference in their pay packets.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Since her husband at the time had previously lived in Paris and had family there, relocating to France made sense.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

Esports Foundation COO and deputy CEO Mike McCabe says the biggest challenge when relocating the event to Paris's Porte de Versailles exhibition centre was time.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

I type Arthur Georgia and there’s nothing but randomness, like a girl named Georgia binge-watching every King Arthur movie, and nothing about Post Office Arthur relocating from Georgia for the summer.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera