replace
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
-
to restore to a former or the proper place.
to replace the vase on the table.
verb
-
to take the place of; supersede
the manual worker is being replaced by the machine
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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
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 Supersede implies that that which is replacing another is an improvement: The computer has superseded the typewriter.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
Explanation
Is your pen not working? Maybe you need to replace it. To replace is to substitute one thing for another — in this case, to get a new pen and throw the old one away. When you see the word place in it, replace makes sense: replacing is putting something new in place of something old. We need to replace most things at some point: light bulbs burn out and batteries run out, while computers, cars, and socks wear out. When something stops working or is just worn out and old, it might be time to replace it. It's natural to worry that your boss might want to replace you — i.e., fire you and hire someone else. Some things in life cannot be replaced, like a winning lottery ticket or a friend.
Vocabulary lists containing replace
"How Do We Use Water?"
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re-
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President Obama's second inaugural address
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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.
She also would audit all corporate tax incentives and push for a statewide public utility to replace private monopolies.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Bitterlin, however, thinks AI streetlighting couldn't replace the biggest data centres used to train leading large language models.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
The task of new LIV directors Gene Davis and Jon Zinman is to raise investment to replace the Saudi billions.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
“But this cannot and should not replace Social Security stability. Social Security remains the foundation for retirement.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
Unlike a substitution cipher, it doesn’t replace any of the letters in the original message.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Definitions 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.
