desplazar
verbCEFR B2
What does “desplazar” mean in English?
to shift, to displace
to shift, to displace (desplazar + noun — move out of position, replace)
Example sentences
La automatización ha desplazado a miles de trabajadores del sector manufacturero hacia empleos de menor cualificación.
Automation has displaced thousands of workers from the manufacturing sector into lower-skilled jobs.
El nuevo partido político ha logrado desplazar al tradicional liderazgo del centro derecha.
The new political party has managed to displace the traditional centre-right leadership.
Para desplazarse por el centro histórico, se recomienda el uso de transporte público o bicicleta.
To get around the historic centre, the use of public transport or bicycle is recommended.
How to use it
Desplazar means 'to displace', 'to shift', or 'to move'. Physical: desplazarse (reflexive, to travel/move from place to place). Figurative: desplazar a alguien de su puesto (push someone out of their position), desplazar mano de obra (displace workers). At B2, the economic and social senses dominate: automation displacing workers, one strategy displacing another. Contrast with trasladar (to relocate deliberately).
Common mistake
Desplazarse (reflexive) = to travel/move around — a very common word for commuting and getting from A to B. Desplazar (transitive) = to displace/push out. Don't use mover when the sense is structural or social displacement — mover is physical movement of objects.