replace

[ri-pleys]

verb (used with object)

replaced, replacing 

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

   Electricity has replaced gas in lighting.

   Synonyms: succeed

2. to provide a substitute or equivalent in the place of.

   to replace a broken dish.

3. to restore; return; make good.

   to replace a sum of money borrowed.

   Synonyms: repay, refund

4. to restore to a former or the proper place.

   to replace the vase on the table.

replace

/ rɪˈpleɪs /

verb

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

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of replace¹

First recorded in 1585–95; re- + place

Synonym Study

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 Supersede implies that that which is replacing another is an improvement: The computer has superseded the typewriter.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

Example Sentences

An interesting chart from Barclays shows that while tariffs have reduced U.S. imports from China, they have just been replaced by imports from other Asian countries, notably Taiwan and Vietnam.

Read more on MarketWatch

When Anna Fleming complained in a TikTok video that Honda had “ghosted” her after promising to replace her broken-down car, an army of amateur consumer advocates flooded Honda with demands for justice.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But undertaking a comprehensive renovation — to remove wood decks, install noncombustible siding and roofing, replace windows with multipaned tempered glass, hardscape the land near the house and trim down trees — is expensive.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Guns at the time were made by skilled craftsmen, limiting their production, and slight variations meant that damaged parts couldn’t be easily replaced.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Beijing hasn’t only upgraded its toolkit; it has replaced the craftsman with the assembly line.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• change 
• follow 
• oust 
• recover 
• reinstate 
• restore 
• succeed 
• supplant 
• supply 
• take over 
• take over from www.thesaurus.com