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displacement

diss-PLAY-smunt /dɪsˈpleɪs.mənt/

nounB2GRESATIELTSTOEFLUPSC

academicjournalistic

The forced or involuntary movement of people or things from their environment or home position.

In urban studies, it refers specifically to low-income residents forced out of neighborhoods due to rising rent, taxes, or redevelopment.

The story behind the word. Rooted in Old French 'desplacer', meaning to unlock from a fixed position. It entered physics to describe fluid volume displacement before taking on social meaning during 20th-century urban rehousing programs.

Word relationships

eviction: Eviction is a formal legal process removing a tenant, while displacement is a broader social process of being forced out by economic forces.
dislodgement: Dislodgement refers to physical removal from a fixed spot, often mechanical or tactical.

settlement: Establishing permanent residence in a place.
retention: Keeping or retaining residents in place.

Commonly confused with

migration: Migration is usually deliberate or seasonal movement, whereas displacement emphasizes being forced out against one's will.

Word family

displace (verb): To compel someone or something to leave their home or usual position.
displaced (adjective): Forced out of place or home.

Collocations

residential displacement
cultural displacement
prevent displacement
forced displacement

Idioms & expressions

pushed out of house and home

Example sentences

"Soaring rents along the transit corridor caused the displacement of hundreds of long-term residents." Urban displacement analysis
"Without strong tenant protection laws, rapid development inevitably leads to community displacement." Economic equity speech

Memory hook

DIS (remove from) + PLACE = taking away someone's place. Pushed out of your spot.

When not to use

Do not confuse with voluntary relocation or chosen vacations.

Fun facts

Archimedes famously discovered the physical law of water displacement while sitting in a bathtub, shouting 'Eureka!'