replace
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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 Supersede implies that that which is replacing another is an improvement: The computer has superseded the typewriter.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
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.
What started as a technique to support human understanding in the face of increasingly complex tools became a way to replace human understanding.
From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026
A California-based startup called Reflect Orbital says that reflecting sunshine on places during times of darkness could charge up solar panels, grow crops and replace urban lighting.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026
They are expensive to replace — between $1,000 and $4,000, according to AAA — because they contain precious metals.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
How do Man City replace captain Silva if he leaves?
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
He. didn’t know how much it would cost to replace Refugee, but he knew he didn’t have the money.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
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.
