displacement

UK: /dɪsˈpleɪsmənt/ US: /dɪsˈpleɪsmənt/ ,(dis plās′mənt)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

dis•place•ment /dɪsˈpleɪsmənt/   n. 

1. the act of displacing;
   the state of being displaced:
   [uncountable] the displacement of different scientific theories by new ones.
2. Automotive [countable] the volume of the space through which a piston travels during a single stroke in an engine, pump, or the like.
3. Physics the weight or the volume of liquid displaced by a body, such as a ship:
   [countable] The ship had a displacement of 50,000 tons.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dis•place•ment  (dis plās′mənt), n. 

1. the act of displacing.
2. the state of being displaced or the amount or degree to which something is displaced.
3. [Physics.]
   • Physics the displacing in space of one mass by another.
   • Physics the weight or the volume of fluid displaced by a floating or submerged body. Cf. Archimedes' principle.
   • Physics the linear or angular distance in a given direction between a body or point and a reference position.
   • the distance of an oscillating body from its central position or point of equilibrium at any given moment.
4. Automotive [Mach., Auto.]
   • Mechanical Engineering the volume of the space through which a piston travels during a single stroke in an engine, pump, or the like.
   • , Automotive, Mechanical Engineering the total volume of the space traversed by all the pistons.
5. Nautical, Naval Terms the amount of water that a vessel displaces, expressed in displacement tons.
6. Geology the offset of rocks caused by movement along a fault.
7. Psychiatry the transfer of an emotion from its original focus to another object, person, or situation.
8. Electricity See electric displacement. 

• displace + -ment 1605–15

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

displacement / dɪsˈpleɪsmənt/ noun

1. the act of displacing or the condition of being displaced
2. the weight or volume displaced by a floating or submerged body in a fluid
3. another name for substitution
4. the transferring of emotional feelings from their original object to one that disguises their real nature
5. the distance measured in a particular direction from a reference point
   Symbol: s