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Synonyms

replacement

American  
[ri-pleys-muhnt] / rɪˈpleɪs mənt /

noun

  1. the act of replacing.

  2. a person or thing that replaces another.

    summer replacements for vacationing staff; a replacement for a broken dish.

  3. Military. a sailor, soldier, or airman assigned to fill a vacancy in a military unit.

  4. Also called metasomatism.  Geology. the process of practically simultaneous removal and deposition by which a new mineral grows in the body of an old one.

replacement British  
/ rɪˈpleɪsmənt /

noun

  1. the act or process of replacing

  2. a person or thing that replaces another

  3. geology the growth of a mineral within another of different chemical composition by gradual simultaneous deposition and removal

  4. Also called: petrification.  a process of fossilization by gradual substitution of mineral matter for the original organic matter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonreplacement noun

Etymology

Origin of replacement

First recorded in 1780–90; replace + -ment

Explanation

A replacement is the thing that fills in for something that's missing, or the act of substituting for the missing thing. The replacement for your absent teacher is an annoying substitute. Sigh. When kids lose their baby teeth, replacements soon grow in their places. And when kids need to have their teeth cleaned but their dentist is on vacation, her replacement will be in charge of taking x-rays and checking for cavities. Replacement comes from the verb replace, which adds the "back" prefix re- to place, "to put somewhere."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing replacement

-ment

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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.

It is also important to ensure cash savings are held too, so unexpected expenses - like the need for a replacement boiler - can be covered.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

That first procedure was called a transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

One of them, Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas, was himself a replacement for another Democrat who had died in office the previous year.

From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026

The DWP announced the cover replacement project in January, saying the 15-year-old cover is damaged and needs to be replaced to comply with state and federal water quality regulations.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

MacArthur's replacement, General Matthew Ridgway, managed to turn the tide against the enemy, with both sides settling once again along the 38th parallel.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

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.