displacement
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of forcing people or things to leave their usual place or home.
the removal of someone or something from its usual or proper place, often referring to populations forced to flee due to conflict.
Simple“The war led to the displacement of thousands of families from the border region.”
In context“Economic shifts in the city centre have caused the gradual displacement of long-term residents by high-income professionals.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
the distance and direction an object has moved from its starting point.
a vector quantity representing the change in position of an object, defined by both magnitude and direction.
Simple“The car drove ten miles, but its total displacement from the house was only two miles east.”
In context“In classical mechanics, displacement is distinguished from distance by its requirement for a specific directional vector relative to the origin.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
the amount of liquid that is pushed aside when an object is put into it.
the volume or weight of a fluid displaced by a floating or submerged body, used to determine buoyancy or ship size.
Simple“The ship has a displacement of over 50,000 tons when fully loaded.”
In context“Archimedes' principle states that the buoyant force on an object is equal to the weight of the fluid displacement it causes.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
moving your feelings about one person or thing onto someone else.
an unconscious defence mechanism where the mind redirects emotions from a dangerous or unacceptable target to a safe one.
Simple“Shouting at his friend after a bad day at work was a clear case of displacement.”
In context“The patient exhibited displacement by venting his frustrations with his employer onto the nursing staff during his recovery.”
Synonymstransferenceredirection - 05 C1 Advanced
the total volume of the cylinders in an engine.
the volume swept by all the pistons inside the cylinders of an internal combustion engine in a single movement.
Simple“The motorcycle has a small engine displacement, making it very fuel-efficient.”
In context“High-performance sports cars often feature larger engine displacements to achieve greater torque and horsepower at lower RPMs.”
Synonymscapacityengine size - 06 C2 Proficiency
the ability of language to talk about things that are not here or now.
the capability of a communication system to refer to objects or events that are distant in time or space.
Simple“Human language has displacement, allowing us to talk about the past and the future.”
In context“Unlike most animal communication, human speech exhibits displacement, enabling the discussion of hypothetical scenarios and historical events.”
“Well over a decade of conflict in Syria claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and led to one of the most serious global displacement crises of recent years.”
“UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk expressed concern about ongoing displacement and destruction caused by Israeli strikes against Lebanon as he concluded a two-day visit to the country on Monday.”
From French déplacement. Morphologically displace + -ment.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.