relocate
Americanverb (used with object)
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relocates,
present (3rd person singular)
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relocated,
past participle, past
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relocating
present participle
verb (used without object)
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relocates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
relocated,
past participle, past
-
relocating
present participle
verb
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to move or be moved to a new place, esp (of an employee, a business, etc) to a new area or place of employment
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(intr) (of an employee, a business, etc) to move for reasons of business to a new area or place of employment
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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relocatesimple
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relocatessimple
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have relocatedperfect
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has relocatedperfect
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am relocatingprogressive
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are relocatingprogressive
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is relocatingprogressive
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have been relocatingperfect progressive
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has been relocatingperfect progressive
Past
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relocatedsimple
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had relocatedperfect
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was relocatingprogressive
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were relocatingprogressive
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had been relocatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of relocate
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.
Vocabulary lists containing relocate
"When Cultures Meet"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And sometimes there isn’t much choice, say, when you have to relocate for work or buy a bigger home for a growing family.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Robbins has discussed buying and renovating it on her podcast, sharing both her initial reluctance to relocate and the features that eventually helped make it a home.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Federal biologists made a last-minute decision to relocate the eggs to the aquarium on Sept. 29, after forecasters predicted that high tides would swamp the nests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
The project to relocate birds from the Highlands to a secret location in the Moffat Hills started in the summer of 2018.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
"He's going to relocate the factory to a town in Czechoslovakia and take us with him."
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
Prince Harry, who relocates back to Britain shortly with his family, will open a new chapter in his ever-eventful life which once seemed improbable amid royal feuds, battles over security and lawsuits against UK tabloids.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
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
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 the new show, Reagan relocates to Boston and eventually teams up with Det.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025
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
"When the Thais dismantled them, they just relocated the operations. The same organisations came to Madagascar," Ralihivao told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
There will be no redundancies elsewehere in the civil service as a result of the hiring spree, the BBC has been told, with some jobs expected to be relocated and other vacant roles closed.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
A native of Honduras, she relocated to the L.A. area at age 14 and was quickly enamored of the Mexican culture that surrounded her — specifically, the vivacious Día de los Muertos celebrations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Perry, who has since relocated to the island, is looking to cut ties with several of his real estate jewels—having recently put his Wyoming and California properties on the selling block.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
He also took care of several rich people’s summer homes during the fall and winter when they relocated to warmer places.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Economic activity in affected regions is 1.5 percent lower two years after a heatwave and three percent lower four years after a drought, driven by lower productivity and people relocating, according to ECB estimates.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
The bestselling author behind “The Let Them Theory” and host of “The Mel Robbins Podcast” spent years raising her family outside of Boston before relocating to Southern Vermont.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Rather than simply relocating, at least some blue cones may undergo a change in identity, becoming red or green cones as the eye develops.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
Yiari CEO Karmele Llano Sanchez said relocating the eight orangutans to the reserve was a "necessary step" when their habitats became unsafe.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
He spoke to a team of officers, who were doing some overtime, about relocating Folk to the Box.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
