replace
Americanverb (used with object)
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replaces,
present (3rd person singular)
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replaced,
past participle, past
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replacing
present participle
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to assume the former role, position, or function of; substitute for (a person or thing).
Electricity has replaced gas in lighting.
- Synonyms:
- succeed
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to provide a substitute or equivalent in the place of.
to replace a broken dish.
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to restore; return; make good.
to replace a sum of money borrowed.
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to restore to a former or the proper place.
to replace the vase on the table.
verb
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to take the place of; supersede
the manual worker is being replaced by the machine
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to substitute a person or thing for (another which has ceased to fulfil its function); put in place of
to replace an old pair of shoes
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to put back or return; restore to its rightful place
Synonym Usage
Replace, supersede, supplant refer to putting one thing or person in place of another. To replace is to take the place of, to succeed: Ms. Jones will replace Mr. Smith as president. Supersede implies that that which is replacing another is an improvement: The computer has superseded the typewriter. Supplant implies that that which takes the other's place has ousted the former holder and usurped the position or function, especially by art or fraud: to supplant a former favorite.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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replaceabilitynoun
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replacernoun
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nonreplaceableadjective
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quasi-replacedadjective
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replaceableadjective
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unreplaceableadjective
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unreplacedadjective
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well-replacedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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replacesimple
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replacessimple
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have replacedperfect
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has replacedperfect
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am replacingprogressive
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are replacingprogressive
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is replacingprogressive
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have been replacingperfect progressive
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has been replacingperfect progressive
Past
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replacedsimple
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had replacedperfect
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was replacingprogressive
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were replacingprogressive
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had been replacingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of replace
Explanation
Is your pen not working? Maybe you need to replace it. To replace is to substitute one thing for another — in this case, to get a new pen and throw the old one away. When you see the word place in it, replace makes sense: replacing is putting something new in place of something old. We need to replace most things at some point: light bulbs burn out and batteries run out, while computers, cars, and socks wear out. When something stops working or is just worn out and old, it might be time to replace it. It's natural to worry that your boss might want to replace you — i.e., fire you and hire someone else. Some things in life cannot be replaced, like a winning lottery ticket or a friend.
Vocabulary lists containing replace
"How Do We Use Water?"
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re-
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President Obama's second inaugural address
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
More advanced versions replace that arrangement with camera-based detector arrays capable of collecting multiple views of the same region.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
“You’re getting little snippets of life, and to experience that with a group of people is really powerful, and a computer can’t replace that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Microsoft does not need to replace every Nvidia chip to strengthen its negotiating position.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The reform will replace the widespread "6x1" system -- six days of work followed by one day off -- with a five-day week, gradually reducing the maximum working week from 44 to 40 hours.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
“As if new clothes and a laptop were going to replace having him at home.”
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
Last season, Harrison Mevis replaced Joshua Karty at midseason, and now Grupe replaces Mevis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Starting in 2027, the agreement replaces a rotation of the gala among major networks like ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
This new record replaces the record set after 5 months of new record-highs in 2025, says the EIA.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
In effect, the system replaces a computationally demanding digital decoding network with a physical process that can handle many streams in parallel.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
It is not realistic to call something a food system when it replaces food with an industrial product that does not nourish us—and in fact makes us sick.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
He urged North Northamptonshire Council - which replaced Corby council in 2021 - to publish a plan "to make these sites safe".
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Last season, Harrison Mevis replaced Joshua Karty at midseason, and now Grupe replaces Mevis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Zacharia replaced secretary Karoline Leavitt, who resigned from the position in August.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
Around 7.5 percent of teaching hours in public secondary schools were not provided in 2024-2025 because absent teachers were not replaced, the education ministry says.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The flyers in my hand have been replaced by an envelope full of money.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
This process of invasive plants permanently replacing native species is called type conversion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
England's toils in the Ashes 12 months ago led to McDermott replacing Shaun Wane at the helm.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
In an interview with AFP last month, Banga said the private capital should be seen as augmenting, not replacing, development financing and that it is needed to address the developing world's vast financial needs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Many young people don’t want to toil in factories, which don’t provide the kind of prestige or work environments college graduates seek—and are rapidly replacing workers with robots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Then they’d all laugh over how Mom couldn’t nag him anymore about replacing it.
From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
