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)
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relocated,
past participle, past
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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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Word Generation Weekly - Series 1
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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:
One of the U.S. citizens forced to relocate was the late Emilia Castañeda, who was born in 1926 and lived in Boyle Heights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Sussex are planning to relocate from the US and move back to the UK later this month.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
The job cuts include about 120 technology workers who declined to relocate to Nashville and 104 employees in coffeehouse design and development.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
It comes after it emerged that the couple intend to relocate with their children from the US to the UK later this month to a private, non-royal residence outside London.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
When they got married, Uncle Max chose to be a “real old-time Indian” and relocate to the territory of his wife’s people.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
If a family relocates, say, for a better job, they can carry their assistance with them within a given region.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 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
In the new show, Reagan relocates to Boston and eventually teams up with Det.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025
In the winter, she relocates to the outskirts of Dehradun, near the Himalayan foothills.
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 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
In 1585, they relocated to the area after Spanish forces forced them from their earlier home, which was probably situated between present-day Payne's Prairie and Orange Lake.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
Under Niccol, Starbucks has scrutinized its store base, closing locations that haven’t performed financially, don’t provide the right store environment or should be relocated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
With the move, Schultz joins a growing list of billionaires who have relocated to Florida in recent months.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Aparcedo and her family spent three years in a shelter following the floods before being relocated to a public housing project — which toppled in the June earthquake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
When Dorothy was eight, the family relocated to Morgantown, West Virginia, where her father accepted a job working for a successful Negro restaurateur.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
A judge blocked the Trump administration from relocating FBI headquarters to which federal office facility?
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
We love our 10-acre farmstead, but also often talk about moving outside the U.S. or relocating somewhere stateside, but don’t know if we can afford that.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Despite the suffering and challenges of relocating his hives to an unfamiliar landscape, Al-Dabba said he found "hope after seeing the bees coexist and adapt".
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Two other Dana Point Harbor dining establishments will be relocating: Coco Bloom Coffee is moving to Newport Beach, and Frisby Cellars Winery will operate out of its location in Rancho Mission Viejo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 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
Definitions 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.
