replacement
Americannoun
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replacements
plural
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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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
A search, led by Excel Search & Advisory, is under way for her replacement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
No reason was given for Sylvia's departure and no replacement has been named, The Atlantic said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Wolf appeared on camera from the firm’s midtown office, flanked by the remaining members of the management committee, including his onetime would-be replacement, Nee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
During a wine grape strike in the Central Valley, Huerta and other UFW women once locked arms in a human blockade between the union’s male picketers and replacement workers wielding two-by-fours.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
I was hoping any potential buyers would be deterred by the thought of a fresh paint job and replacement blinds, but that wasn't the case.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
In other words, rather than serving only as replacements for dying neurons, immature cells could potentially help maintain the environment surrounding existing brain cells.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
Both Dalton and Basinski were able to get replacements at their local Apple Stores.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
For example, investors earlier this year broadly dumped software stocks as they worried that AI would be able to create inexpensive replacements for established software.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
In 2021, the company promoted Carrot Academy, a collection of optional online lessons covering customer communication, produce selection and choosing appropriate replacements.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
Volunteers fell over themselves to secure replacements for the missing equipment.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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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.
