replication

noun

rep·​li·​ca·​tion ˌre-plə-ˈkā-shən 

1

a

: answer, reply

b(1)

: an answer to a reply : rejoinder

(2)

: a plaintiff's reply to a defendant's plea, answer, or counterclaim

2

: echo, reverberation

3

a

: copy, reproduction

b

: the action or process of reproducing or duplicating

replication of DNA

viral replication

4

: performance of an experiment or procedure more than once

Synonyms of replication

• reproduction
• copy
• replica

Examples of replication in a Sentence

bought a smaller and cheaper replication of the marble statue for his garden

we'll need to do a replication of that experiment so we can collect more data

Recent Examples on the Web

Taking zinc supplements after the onset of initial symptoms can help block viral replication. —Ayesha Gulzar, Verywell Health, 13 Jan. 2026

Runaway replication can grow into cancer, while overzealous culling — as can happen in asthma — compromises the integrity of tissues. —Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 12 Jan. 2026

Viruses display a kind of single-minded teleology—relentless replication—but are not, by most biological standards, living. —Dan Turello, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026

By attacking a protein that is essential for replication, the molecule works against every influenza mutation, Stein explains. —Noelle Harff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English replicacioun "answer, rejoinder, argument, repetition," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French replicacion "answer to an argument or statement of an opponent," borrowed from Late Latin replicātiōn-, replicātiō "act of bending or folding, repetition, reply, replication in court," going back to Latin, "contrary rotation, replication," from replicāre "to turn back on itself, bend back, go over (a thought, topic) repeatedly, make a replication" (Late Latin also "to restore, repeat, reply") + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at replicate entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for replication

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

replication

noun

rep·​li·​ca·​tion ˌrep-lə-ˈkā-shən 

1

: very exact copying or duplication

2

: an act or process of copying or duplication

Medical Definition

replication

noun

rep·​li·​ca·​tion ˌrep-lə-ˈkā-shən 

1

: the action or process of reproducing or duplicating

replication of DNA

2

: performance of an experiment or procedure more than once

Legal Definition

replication

noun

rep·​li·​ca·​tion ˌre-plə-ˈkā-shən 

: reply

Etymology

Anglo-French, from Middle French, from Late Latin replicatio, from Latin, action of folding back, from replicare to fold back