supplant

[ suh-plant, -plahnt ]

verb (used with object)

1. to take the place of (another), as through force, scheming, strategy, or the like.

   Synonyms: succeed, remove

2. to replace (one thing) by something else.

supplant

/ ˌsʌplɑːnˈteɪʃən; səˈplɑːnt /

verb

1. tr to take the place of, often by trickery or force

   he easily supplanted his rival

Derived Forms

• supplantation, noun
• supˈplanter, noun

Other Words From

• sup·plan·ta·tion [suhp-l, uh, n-, tey, -sh, uh, n], noun
• sup·plant·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of supplant¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English supplanten, from Latin supplantāre “to trip up, overthrow”; sup-, plant

Word History and Origins

Origin of supplant¹

C13: via Old French from Latin supplantāre to trip up, from sub- from below + planta sole of the foot

Synonym Study

See replace.

Example Sentences

It’s only been in the past 10 years that newer narratives — Gabby Douglas’s historic all-around gold at the 2012 London Games and Biles’s record-breaking run — have started to supplant the Cold War stories of the sport.

From FiveThirtyEight

Even before tech firms are ready to ship the devices that will supplant the smartphone, they've begun breaking the phone into pieces.

From Axios

When he became prime minister in 2018, he had largely supplanted Tigray’s main political party, the TPLF, as the country’s center of power.

From Vox

They will likely supplant the now mostly-defunct HYDRA as the villainous presence in the future Captain America stories.

From Time

Assuming materials have been published with sufficient degrees of technical SEO, such a campaign could see success within just around six weeks, although it may be more typical to see negative items supplanted from page one after some months.

From Search Engine Land

And, of course, it recommends keeping screen time limited, so as not to supplant other, real-world play and exploration.

From The Daily Beast

Achmon is a harbinger of the business entrepreneurs who became the other new elite to supplant the old kibbutz hegemony.

From The Daily Beast

The internet didn't just smash industries and supplant human jobs with our new server overlords.

From The Daily Beast

State resources should maximize, and not supplant or suppress, their efforts.

From The Daily Beast

Free votes can supplant villains with worse villains, corruption, and brutality with tyranny and enslavement of women.

From The Daily Beast

Don't think for an instant that any ambition on my part, Georgie, makes me wish to see Lucius supplant your children.

From Project Gutenberg

The leaders mutually despise and detest one another, and universally endeavour to deceive and supplant each other.

From Project Gutenberg

Elder Brewster especially entreated for him, though this strange pulpit aspirant had hoped to supplant him.

From Project Gutenberg

She rapidly acquired sufficient influence to supplant her benefactress.

From Project Gutenberg

Of his own prowess, his power to supplant all rivals, he had no doubt.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• overthrow
• succeed
• supersede
• undermine
• unseat
• usurp