1. Cause to move, usually with force or pressure
   "the refugees were displaced by the war"
    
2. Cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
   "displace those boxes into the corner, please";
   - move
    
3. Take the place of or have precedence over
   "live broadcast of the presidential debate displaces the regular news hour";
   - preempt [N. Amer], pre-empt
    
4. Terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position
   "The boss displaced his secretary today";
   - fire, give notice, can [N. Amer, informal], dismiss, give the axe [informal], send away, sack, force out, give the sack [informal], terminate

Derived forms: displaced, displacing, displaces

Type of: alter, change, modify, remove, replace, supercede [non-standard], supersede, supervene upon, supplant

Encyclopedia: Displace