replace

[ ri-pleys ]
See synonyms for: replacereplacedreplacing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),re·placed, re·plac·ing.
  1. to assume the former role, position, or function of; substitute for (a person or thing): Electricity has replaced gas in lighting.

  2. to provide a substitute or equivalent in the place of: to replace a broken dish.

  1. to restore; return; make good: to replace a sum of money borrowed.

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

Origin of replace

1
First recorded in 1585–95; re- + place

synonym study For replace

1. 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 Supersede implies that that which is replacing another is an improvement: The computer has superseded the typewriter.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 words for replace

Other words from replace

  • re·place·a·ble, adjective
  • re·place·a·bil·i·ty, noun
  • re·plac·er, noun
  • non·re·place·a·ble, adjective
  • qua·si-re·placed, adjective
  • un·re·place·a·ble, adjective
  • un·re·placed, adjective
  • well-re·placed, adjective

Words Nearby replace

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use replace in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for replace

replace

/ (rɪˈpleɪs) /


verb(tr)
  1. to take the place of; supersede: the manual worker is being replaced by the machine

  2. 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

  1. to put back or return; restore to its rightful place

Derived forms of replace

  • replaceable, adjective
  • replaceability, noun
  • replacer, 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