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
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Recent Examples of replaceNo singular player can effectively replace everything Barkov brings to the rink.—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025 Tan wipes were in the bin, the towels were ruined, and the housekeeping team had to replace nearly everything.—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 27 Sep. 2025 The endeavor — which involved bulldozing local slums and replacing them with apartments for poor families — is the brainchild of Anne Guinness and Lady Adelaide Guinness (Ann Skelly), the siblings’ first cousin and Edward’s future wife.—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025 Remove any liners and replace them with new ones, if necessary.—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for replace
While additional details for the upcoming season of the long-running soap opera remain under wraps, Young and the Restless executive producer and head writer Josh Griffith told TV Insider earlier this month that core characters will be returning with some twists and turns.
—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
Boley said that Heffernan returned from a tour of NFL franchises with fresh schematic and teaching approaches that the players have embraced.
Masses of federal workers face going unpaid until funding is restored.
—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
In April, more than 4,700 international students across the country had their immigration status revoked before it was unexpectedly restored weeks later.
—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Sep. 2025
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