replace
Americanverb (used with object)
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replaces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
replaced,
past participle, past
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replacing
present participle
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to assume the former role, position, or function of; substitute for (a person or thing).
Electricity has replaced gas in lighting.
- Synonyms:
- succeed
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to provide a substitute or equivalent in the place of.
to replace a broken dish.
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to restore; return; make good.
to replace a sum of money borrowed.
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to restore to a former or the proper place.
to replace the vase on the table.
verb
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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
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to put back or return; restore to its rightful place
Synonym Usage
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 Supersede implies that that which is replacing another is an improvement: The computer has superseded the typewriter.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
Derived Forms
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replaceabilitynoun
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replacernoun
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nonreplaceableadjective
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quasi-replacedadjective
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replaceableadjective
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unreplaceableadjective
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unreplacedadjective
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well-replacedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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replacesimple
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replacessimple
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have replacedperfect
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has replacedperfect
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am replacingprogressive
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are replacingprogressive
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is replacingprogressive
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have been replacingperfect progressive
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has been replacingperfect progressive
Past
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replacedsimple
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had replacedperfect
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was replacingprogressive
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were replacingprogressive
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had been replacingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
Hours later, she pulled back a bit, issuing a statement saying she expects to replace him prior to the end of his term, which concludes in late 2029.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Microsoft does not need to replace every Nvidia chip to strengthen its negotiating position.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The reform will replace the widespread "6x1" system -- six days of work followed by one day off -- with a five-day week, gradually reducing the maximum working week from 44 to 40 hours.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
AJ Booth, the senior director of energy products engineering, will replace Snyder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
In every town and village the Germans invaded, they took over and set up their own soldiers and government to occupy and replace the Soviet system.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Platinum is new and effectively replaces its current Companion Pass program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The show is in its second season, and Kuechly replaces Bill Belichick, who played the defensive counterpart to Manning in Season 1.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
In effect, the system replaces a computationally demanding digital decoding network with a physical process that can handle many streams in parallel.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
“We believe this pressure is likely to broaden as agentic AI increasingly replaces human search, comparison and routine decision-making,” he wrote following Amazon’s decision.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
A more serious look replaces his smile as he adds, “You look tough as nails.”
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
As they sought revenge, the Scots, under caretaker head coach Dave Butcher, lost Sarah Bonar to illness shortly before kick-off and the Harlequins lock was replaced with Bristol Bears' Hollie Cunningham.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Zacharia replaced secretary Karoline Leavitt, who resigned from the position in August.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
It included a French literature teacher at the Lycee Blaise-Cendrars in the town of Sevran, who said she was not replaced for six months before key exams during her maternity leave.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Barf bags are still supposed to be put in every seat, major U.S. airlines and flight attendants say, though some acknowledged that bags may not always be replaced immediately.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
For a few days, she was replaced with a temporary commander.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
England's toils in the Ashes 12 months ago led to McDermott replacing Shaun Wane at the helm.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Instead of efficiently replacing damaged components and preserving healthy tissue, aging muscle cells become increasingly burdened by proteins that should have been cleared away.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
In an interview with AFP last month, Banga said the private capital should be seen as augmenting, not replacing, development financing and that it is needed to address the developing world's vast financial needs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
If you don’t already have a camera, or are replacing one, stay away from cheap or unfamiliar brands, says Paul Marrapese, a California cybersecurity specialist who has researched hacked webcams.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
“How can you think of replacing Mango already?”
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
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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.
