replace
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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 Supersede implies that that which is replacing another is an improvement: The computer has superseded the typewriter.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:
On Friday, however, he elevated Stephen Miller, his bare-knuckled political operative and longtime adviser, to replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
"Nuclear is the key area for us to replace coal," he said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
Raman is looking to boost housing production, add bike lanes and replace the current police chief.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
“I’ve seen startups that claim that they can replace an entire company with a set of AIs with no humans at the front,” Vincent said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Mrs. Contreras had bought him a new backpack to replace the one that was ripping apart, but nothing could cheer him up.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
"As Turkey increases renewable capacity, it must ensure clean electricity replaces fossil-fuel generation rather than simply meeting additional demand," Kutluay said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill replaces the previous Conservative government's contentious 2023 Legacy Act, which introduced a ban on inquests and civil actions related to Troubles-era incidents.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
It would separate the decision to recall the official from the choice of who replaces them, creating a second election or appointment process to determine the successor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Georgia Roche replaces Jenna Foubister at half-back for England women, with Hope Millard stepping up to the bench for their must-win final group game.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
After a few moments, he replaces the lid and puts the jar carefully back on the table.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Cheaper debt racked up during a period of low rates is gradually being replaced with more expensive loans and bonds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
An investigation was held into the circumstances in which the former DE permanent secretary Mark Browne was replaced in November 2024.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Were they also absorbed, at least partially, into the human populations that replaced them?
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
In the future, Kang said, the current plastic bins would be replaced with more durable cans bolted into the sidewalk and designed to be harder to tamper with.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
The huge, slow-moving dirigibles were later replaced by more reliable long-range airplanes, such as the German Gotha bombers that carried out daylight raids on London.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
Angel City also underwent a number of coaching changes this summer, dropping manager Alexander Straus for Leif Gunnar Smerud in June, then replacing goalkeeper coach Kevin Moreno with Louis Hunt in July.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Piccioli was appointed to lead creative direction at Balenciaga in July last year, replacing Demna Gvasalia, who was tapped for a bigger job at Kering’s largest brand, Gucci.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
On Wednesday, the Paris prefecture banned a major protest route, instead replacing it with an authorised route moving eastward away from the centre.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
Rather than replacing the body's natural repair machinery, the approach explored in this study seeks to protect and enhance an existing biological signal.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
The next year after that was 2 AD, and the next 3 AD, and so forth, replacing the two dating systems then most commonly in use.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
