What does relocate mean?
Relocate means to move something or someone from one place to another. The verb is used for businesses, offices, institutions, possessions, and people, and it often suggests an organized move rather than a casual change of location. In employment and housing contexts, relocating can involve substantial practical changes, such as finding accommodation, moving belongings, or adapting to a new community. The related noun relocation refers to the process itself and is frequently used in phrases concerning employees, families, offices, and services for moving. Relocation can also be used technically, for example when artifacts or facilities are moved because of construction, danger, preservation, or expansion. Overall, the word is a precise and useful formal alternative to move, transfer, or resettle, especially when the move is planned, consequential, or part of an institutional process.
verbTo move a person, place, business, or activity to a different location. It can also mean to move oneself to a new place, especially for work or housing.
- To move a person, place, business, or activity to a different location.
- To move oneself to a new place, especially in relation to employment or housing.
"The company relocated its headquarters to a smaller office in the city center."
"After the flood, the museum relocated several fragile artifacts to a secure storage facility."
"Thousands of workers relocated when the company moved its headquarters abroad."
Relocation is the act of moving, but it often carries the practical story of rebuilding life somewhere else: a new address, a new workplace, and a new set of routines.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does relocate come from?
Relocate was formed in the 19th century from the prefix re-, meaning again, and locate, meaning to find or establish the position of something. Its core root is the Latin word locare, meaning to place or assign, from locus, meaning place. Related English words include location and locator; comparable forms appear in French and other European languages.
Related word forms
How relocate is actually used
The word is formal and neutral in tone. It is especially common in business, administrative, employment, and relocation-services contexts, where it often implies a planned move rather than a sudden displacement.
Easily confused with relocate
Relocate means to move something from one place to another, whereas allocate means to assign or distribute resources for a particular purpose.