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
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 Supersede implies that that which is replacing another is an improvement: The computer has superseded the typewriter.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
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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:
In travel news this week, JetBlue won the contest to replace Spirit Airlines at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Platner’s implosion gave Maine Democrats less than two weeks to pick a nominee to replace him.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
According to the New York Times, many people will be losing the caregivers who have been with them for years, and there is no one to replace them.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Then it was off to Western Michigan for O’Leary last season, where he was defensive coordinator — a year of experience in that job before returning to replace the departing Minter for the Chargers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
I type up what I wrote in my notebook and then edit and brainstorm and cut and replace.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Sanjay Gaba, president of the All India Gig and Platform Workers Union, said the system simply replaces one form of exploitation with another.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
He replaces Rachel Reeves, who had served as Sir Keir's chancellor since Labour's 2024 landslide election win.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Some arias are cut; Donna Elvira’s Act 2 “Mi tradì” replaces her Act 1 “Ah, fuggi il traditor,” and there is no moralizing epilogue after the Don goes to hell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
“It rips out Prop. 103’s good‑driver protections and replaces your actual driving record with a black‑box score built on sweeping data collection,’’ Balber said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
It is not realistic to call something a food system when it replaces food with an industrial product that does not nourish us—and in fact makes us sick.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
Weeks after her appointment, Sanofi replaced Houman Ashrafian as research-and-development head and picked Paulo Fontoura as his successor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
In 2025-26, the WSL replaced the Sunday 18:45 kick-off time with more noon matches, but this also proved unpopular.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The vessel has been replaced on the Douglas-Heysham route by former flagship ferry Ben-my-Chree, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Like his son, Jim Tracy was given an interim manager title when he replaced Clint Hurdle in May 2009 after Colorado’s poor start.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
But when a serpentlike head emerged from the darkness, Anya’s peace with death vanished and was replaced with cold fear.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Over the years Universal has been required to make alterations to its attractions, such as replacing some live special effects in its “Waterworld” show with prerecorded digital tracks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
MUNICH—Chinese carmakers spent the past decade replacing gasoline engines with batteries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Sarwar previously said he would not take a peerage, and both he and Andy Burnham have expressed support for replacing the Lords with a senate of the nations and regions.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Industry leaders argue that apps are expanding options rather than replacing traditional work.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
The sky is a brilliant and sharp winter blue as Meadowlark and I finish cleaning out and replacing the bedding in the last chicken coop.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.