displace

Everyday

1. To displace something is to push it out of its place or take its place. tree →
2. To displace people is to force them to leave their homes, for example because of war or floods. tree →
3. In science, an object put in water displaces (pushes aside) some of the water. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons, an object dropped into water displaces water and the level rises; the displaced water's volume equals the object's volume, a way to measure odd shapes. In geography and news, floods or wars displace families. Phrases: displaced people, displacement of water.

Examples

• The stone displaced water and the level rose. tree →
• Floods displaced thousands of families. tree →
• The new road displaced many birds from the woods. tree →
• Measure how much water the toy displaces. tree →
• A ship displaces a lot of water. tree →
• Weeds can displace native plants. tree →

Note

Regular verb. Noun: displacement. In maths/science: volume of object = water level after − water level before; e.g. from 200 ml to 250 ml means 50 ml (50 cm³) was displaced.