supersede
Americanverb (used with object)
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supersedes,
present (3rd person singular)
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superseded,
past participle, past
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superseding
present participle
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to replace in power, authority, effectiveness, acceptance, use, etc., as by another person or thing.
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to set aside or cause to be set aside as void, useless, irrelevant, or obsolete, usually in consideration of something mentioned.
The success of the vaccine superseded the necessity of a smallpox hospital, and the enterprise was abandoned almost as soon as conceived.
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to succeed to the position, function, office, etc., of; supplant.
verb
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to take the place of (something old-fashioned or less appropriate); supplant
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to replace in function, office, etc; succeed
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to discard or set aside or cause to be set aside as obsolete or inferior
Synonym Usage
See replace.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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supersedencenoun
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supersedernoun
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supersedurenoun
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supersessionnoun
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supersedableadjective
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unsupersedingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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supersedesimple
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supersedessimple
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have supersededperfect
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has supersededperfect
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am supersedingprogressive
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are supersedingprogressive
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is supersedingprogressive
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have been supersedingperfect progressive
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has been supersedingperfect progressive
Past
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supersededsimple
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had supersededperfect
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was supersedingprogressive
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were supersedingprogressive
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had been supersedingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of supersede
First recorded in 1485–95; from Latin supersedēre “to sit above or upon, forbear,” equivalent to super- super- + sedēre “to sit”; see sit 1
Explanation
When something supersedes, it takes the place of something else. The 5th edition of your history textbook supersedes the 4th edition. Most words that include super have something good going on. Supersede is from the 16th-century Latin for "sit on top," and it often means to replace with something better. A version 10 of a computer game will supersede, version 9, making it more exciting. Unfortunately, a person might be replaced too, as in "the younger running back will supersede the veteran player as he gets older." To supersede is generally a good thing, but being superseded is not always that great for the replaced person.
Vocabulary lists containing supersede
Grade 10, List 1
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Power Prefix: super-
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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:
All of that is a long way of saying that human judgment is going to supersede human expertise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
But through the first week of this year’s event, a question has intruded on the spectacle: When does atmosphere start to supersede tennis?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
But the US actions will "supersede" the Canadian case, Wednesday's statement said.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
Faced with such potential destabilisation, the government may have felt it needed the new law to supersede existing legal protections for minority rights, according to analysts.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026
Faction customs dictate even idle behavior and supersede individual preference.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
The indictment supersedes a previous indictment of Singamas Marketing Director Vick Nam Hing Ma, who was arrested in France last month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
Like all service members, he has an obligation to the Constitution and the rule of law that supersedes following the orders of superiors.
From Slate ● Jan. 15, 2025
The Webb certainly supersedes Hubble in every respect.
From Salon ● Dec. 10, 2024
District Judge Reggie B. Walton, supersedes claims of American ownership and paves the way for the emerald to return to Brazil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2024
To produce more Instances would be needless; because One general Remark supersedes them all.
From The Preface to the Aeneis of Virgil (1718) by Joseph Trapp
Liggett Group LLC, where the court agreed in part with the tobacco industry that the congressionally mandated surgeon general’s warning about cigarettes already superseded any state-based failure-to-warn claim.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
The fund superseded the Household Support Fund which was set up in response to the cost of living crisis, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
The man had "withholding of removal", a legal protection that is weaker than asylum but in the past has superseded someone's deportation order, allowing them to live and work in the United States.
From Barron's ● May 30, 2026
Church scorned French Impressionism as slapdash, and Ms. Johnson suggests that his work became less popular simply because it was superseded by a more innovative style.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
We tend to assume that useful technologies, once acquired, inevitably persist until superseded by better ones.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
None of these proposals grapple with the full weight of how different our new era will be from the relatively placid one it is superseding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Pogacar's victory means he is positioned by many as the greatest cyclist of all time, superseding the achievements and status of Belgian legend Merckx.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The plasticity of digital information is superseding earlier modes of expression and expertise, as the printing press did the scribe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
Federal prosecutors said early this month that Combs may face a superseding indictment that would open the door to more charges for Combs and possibly other defendants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2024
To a great extent, the superseding of the Egyptian annals was brought about by his influence.
From The Christ Of Paul Or, The Enigmas of Christianity by George Reber
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