Synonyms of replace

replace

verb

ri-ˈplās 

1

as in to supersede

to take the place of

the old street lights were replaced by more energy-efficient models

Synonyms & Similar Words

• supersede
• supplant
• substitute
• relieve
• displace
• displant
• usurp
• cut out
• preempt

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

• return
• restore
• reconvey

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• take
• remove

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

Recent Examples of replace

Jerome Powell may have a little under a year left as the chairman of the Federal Reserve, but analysts—and President Donald Trump—have already narrowed their gaze on a handful of candidates to replace him. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 26 June 2025

Kennedy previously fired the entire 17-member panel of outside vaccine experts and replaced them with his own picks. —Ahmed Aboulenein, USA Today, 26 June 2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's panel of vaccine advisers voted Thursday in their first official move after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the committee's previous experts and replaced them with his own picks. —Nicole Brown Chau, CBS News, 26 June 2025

Dreams of humans being entirely replaced by tech aren’t yet realistic. —Gabriel Snyder, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025