replace

[ri-pleys]

verb (used with object), re·placed, re·plac·ing.

to assume the former role, position, or function of; substitute for (a person or thing): Electricity has replaced gas in lighting.
to provide a substitute or equivalent in the place of: to replace a broken dish.
to restore; return; make good: to replace a sum of money borrowed.

to restore to a former or the proper place: to replace the vase on the table.

Origin of replace

First recorded in 1585–95; re- + place

Related formsre·place·a·ble, adjectivere·place·a·bil·i·ty, nounre·plac·er, nounnon·re·place·a·ble, adjectivequa·si-re·placed, adjectiveun·re·place·a·ble, adjectiveun·re·placed, adjectivewell-re·placed, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

1. succeed. 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 Supersede implies that that which is replacing another is an improvement: The computer has superseded the typewriter.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. 3. refund, repay.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for replace

Contemporary Examples

He also wants to “replace every existing organism with a better one.”
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA
Justin Jones
January 8, 2015
But this year, instead of simply voting against Boehner on Tuesday, at least two members of the group are vying to replace him.
The YOLO Caucus' New Cry for Attention
Ben Jacobs
January 4, 2015
It has grown from a rotten root—striving to replace human judgment with detailed dictates.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans
Philip K. Howard
December 27, 2014
Because this food source could abruptly disappear at any time, cutworm moths cannot be counted on to replace pine nuts.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear
Doug Peacock
November 23, 2014
But Klein offers nothing specific to replace that structurelessness.
Naomi Klein’s ‘This Changes Everything’ Will Change Nothing
Michael Signer
November 17, 2014

Historical Examples

When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
I must not pretend, then, that I have a system ready to replace all the other systems.
A Treatise on Parents and Children
George Bernard Shaw
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be renamed.
The Imaginary Invalid
Molire
She tried to replace the package of letters exactly as she had found them.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
When they are quite dry, take them out, and replace them with others.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

British Dictionary definitions for replace

replace

verb (tr)

to take the place of; supersedethe manual worker is being replaced by the machine
to substitute a person or thing for (another which has ceased to fulfil its function); put in place ofto replace an old pair of shoes
to put back or return; restore to its rightful place

Derived Formsreplaceable, adjectivereplaceability, nounreplacer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for replace

v.

1590s, "to restore to a previous place or position," from re- "back, again" + place (v.). Meaning "to take the place of" is recorded from 1753; that of "to fill the place of (with something else)" is from 1765. Related: Replaced; replacing.

replace

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Synonyms

Examples from the Web for replace

Contemporary Examples

He also wants to “replace every existing organism with a better one.”

But this year, instead of simply voting against Boehner on Tuesday, at least two members of the group are vying to replace him.

It has grown from a rotten root—striving to replace human judgment with detailed dictates.

Because this food source could abruptly disappear at any time, cutworm moths cannot be counted on to replace pine nuts.

But Klein offers nothing specific to replace that structurelessness.

Historical Examples

When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it.

I must not pretend, then, that I have a system ready to replace all the other systems.

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be renamed.

She tried to replace the package of letters exactly as she had found them.

When they are quite dry, take them out, and replace them with others.

replace

Word Origin and History for replace

v.

Origin of replace