Synonyms

replace

American

[ri-pleys] / rɪˈpleɪs /

verb (used with object)

replaced, replacing

to assume the former role, position, or function of; substitute for (a person or thing).

Electricity has replaced gas in lighting.

Synonyms:

succeed
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.

Synonyms:

repay, refund
to restore to a former or the proper place.

to replace the vase on the table.

replace British

/ rɪˈpleɪs /

verb

to take the place of; supersede

the 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 of

to replace an old pair of shoes
to put back or return; restore to its rightful place

"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

Related Words

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 Supersede implies that that which is replacing another is an improvement: The computer has superseded the typewriter.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 Word Forms

nonreplaceable adjective
quasi-replaced adjective
replaceability noun
replaceable adjective
replacer noun
unreplaceable adjective
unreplaced adjective
well-replaced adjective

Etymology

Origin of replace

First recorded in 1585–95; re- + place

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.

And yet now whales that were once hunted for their oil are falling victim to the effects of the petroleum or “rock oil” that replaced their melted blubber as a source of light and lubrication.

From Los Angeles Times

BBC Sport presenter Gabby Logan, one of Yorath's children, left part-way through Wednesday's Match of the Day programme to be replaced by Mark Chapman, who confirmed it was due to "a family emergency".

From Barron's

Gabby was presenting Match of the Day on Wednesday night but left during the broadcast and was replaced by Mark Chapman, who said his co-host had to leave for a "family emergency".

From BBC

Head's promotion to replace Khawaja in the second innings in Perth was a big bang moment, one that Ben Stokes said left him "shellshocked".

From BBC

With the Dane already struggling to win over unhappy Spurs supporters since replacing Europa League-winning Ange Postecoglou in the summer, it was an incident that invited ridicule and left him under more scrutiny.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023