relocate

relocate — verb

1. to leave the place where you currently live or work and go to a different locati

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to leave the place where you currently live or work and go to a different location, usually a different city or country, to begin living or working there

Example

After the factory closed, Elena relocated from Milan to Berlin to find work.

intransitive: relocate from [place] to [place]

The company relocated its entire research team to a new lab in Singapore.

transitive: relocate + object + to [place]

Common collocations
  • relocate to [place]
  • relocate from [place]
  • relocate employees
  • relocate an office / headquarters / operations
  • relocate a family
Synonyms
  • move

    more general and less formal; can refer to any change of location, including short distances

  • transfer

    often implies an employer arranges or requires the move to a different branch or office

  • resettle

    specifically about people or groups establishing themselves in a new country or region; more formal

Antonyms
  • stay

    to remain in the same place

  • remain

    more formal; to not change location

Grammar Patterns

relocate + to + place

relocate + from + place

relocate + object + to + place

Usage Note

More formal than 'move'; suggests a permanent or long-term change of location, often involving an entire household or business operation. The origin is introduced with 'from' and the destination with 'to'. Particularly common in business contexts when companies transfer offices or employees to a different city or country.

Common Mistakes

I relocated to the next room.
I moved to the next room.
'relocate' implies a more significant, permanent change of location, not a short-distance move.
The company relocated the furniture.
The company relocated its offices.
'relocate' is for people, organizations, or operations, not for moving objects.

Word family

  • relocation
    nounB2
  • relocated
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

While 'move' is the most general term and can refer to any change of location — from next door to across the world — 'relocate' suggests a more significant, often permanent shift, typically to a different city, region, or country. 'Transfer' usually implies that an employer arranges or requires the move to a different branch or office. 'Resettle' is more formal and refers specifically to people or groups establishing themselves in a new country or area, often due to political or economic necessity. For example, a company relocates its headquarters, an employee is transferred to a different office, and refugees are resettled in a new country.

move ↗transferresettle

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • relocate abroad
  • relocate overseas
  • relocate to a new city

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'relocate' was formed in English in the early 1800s by combining the prefix 're-' (meaning 'again') with 'locate' (from Latin 'locatus', meaning 'placed'). It literally means 'to place again' or 'to establish in a new spot.'