translocation

noun

: the act, process, or an instance of changing location or position: such as
a
: the conduction of soluble material (such as metabolic products) from one part of a plant to another
b
: transfer of part of a chromosome to a different position especially on a nonhomologous chromosome
especially : the exchange of parts between nonhomologous chromosomes

Examples of translocation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 2020, after a tangle of paperwork and permits, the first translocation took place. Nathan Rott, NPR, 19 July 2025 Free-living non-native pigs east of the Wallace Line exhibit complex genomes that suggest waves of prehistoric human translocations. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 Mkambati could eventually support more than 100 white rhinos, though the first translocation would likely involve a founder population of 22 to 30 animals. Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 The rebound in 2019 could be due, at least in part, to the department’s translocations, Kolar says, but surveyors didn’t see many males with leg bands during the spring lek surveys, which would have indicated Wyoming birds. Brad Dokken, Twin Cities, 26 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for translocation

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of translocation was in 1617

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Cite this Entry

“Translocation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/translocation. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Medical Definition

1
: transfer of part of a chromosome to a different position especially on a nonhomologous chromosome
especially : the exchange of parts between nonhomologous chromosomes
2
: a chromosome or part of a chromosome that has undergone translocation
translocate verb
translocated; translocating
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