replacement

American  

[ri-pleys-muhnt] / rɪˈpleɪs mənt /

noun

1. the act of replacing.

2. a person or thing that replaces another.

   summer replacements for vacationing staff; a replacement for a broken dish.

3. Military. a sailor, soldier, or airman assigned to fill a vacancy in a military unit.

4. 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.

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replacement British  

/ rɪˈpleɪsmənt /

noun

1. the act or process of replacing

2. a person or thing that replaces another

3. geology the growth of a mineral within another of different chemical composition by gradual simultaneous deposition and removal

4. Also called: petrification.  a process of fossilization by gradual substitution of mineral matter for the original organic matter

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Other Word Forms

• nonreplacement noun

Etymology

Origin of replacement

First recorded in 1780–90; replace + -ment

Example Sentences

Gen. Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal criminal defense attorney, will serve as acting attorney general until a permanent replacement is named.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

Whether the price increases prove temporary will depend on how long the Iran conflict lasts and the new level of replacement tariffs.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Chia seeds are a nutrient-dense replacement for eggs, meaning you can make plant-based cookies and even plant-based mayo.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

The Travelodge hotel chain says it has made changes to its door key policy to ensure additional or replacement keys were only issued with permission from the person staying in the room.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Another resulted in a replacement, throughout almost the whole of tropical Southeast Asia, of indigenous hunter-gatherers by farmers of ultimately South Chinese origin.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• reinstatement
• restoration
• stand-in