replacement
Americannoun
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the act of replacing.
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a person or thing that replaces another.
summer replacements for vacationing staff; a replacement for a broken dish.
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Military. a sailor, soldier, or airman assigned to fill a vacancy in a military unit.
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Also called metasomatism. Geology. the process of practically simultaneous removal and deposition by which a new mineral grows in the body of an old one.
noun
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the act or process of replacing
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a person or thing that replaces another
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geology the growth of a mineral within another of different chemical composition by gradual simultaneous deposition and removal
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Also called: petrification. a process of fossilization by gradual substitution of mineral matter for the original organic matter
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of replacement
Explanation
A replacement is the thing that fills in for something that's missing, or the act of substituting for the missing thing. The replacement for your absent teacher is an annoying substitute. Sigh. When kids lose their baby teeth, replacements soon grow in their places. And when kids need to have their teeth cleaned but their dentist is on vacation, her replacement will be in charge of taking x-rays and checking for cavities. Replacement comes from the verb replace, which adds the "back" prefix re- to place, "to put somewhere."
Vocabulary lists containing replacement
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.
The modeling indicates that almost all of the TFA detected there originates from CFC replacement chemicals, despite the region being far removed from major sources of emissions.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
He had big boots to fill as well after Viktor Gyokeres departed for Arsenal with the Colombian his direct replacement.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
The U.S. total fertility rate has been at or below the so-called replacement rate of 2.1 for around half a century, ever since the baby boom peaked around 1960.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
Maine law would give state Democrats the opportunity to name a replacement candidate if Platner drops out by July 13.
From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026
There was no time to hire a replacement, not before the extended family would arrive.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
Definitions 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.
