supersede
verb
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Language is constantly evolving, with old spellings and meanings superseded by new ones over time. Naturally, supersede itself has its share of predecessors. Supersede ultimately comes from the Latin verb supersedēre, meaning "to sit on top of" (sedēre means "to sit"), "to be superior to," or "to refrain from," but it came to English through Scots Middle English, where it was rendered superceden and used synonymously with defer. Modern English speakers are often confused about how to spell supersede—it sometimes turns up as supercede. In fact, some of the earliest records of the word in English show it spelled with a c. Though both spellings can be etymologically justified, over time supersede won out as the "correct" version.
Examples of supersede in a Sentence
Harriet Hall, Skeptic, 2007
The ancient human carriers of information and understanding—elders, priests, bards, teachers, and community members—are superseded by a more durable and efficient medium, the printed word.
—M. Rex Miller, The Millennium Matrix, 2004
Upgrading America's too-old, too-slow telephone network, which took about a century to build, is a massive task. But if you believe predictions that the Internet will one day supersede the telephone as the world's primary means of communications, these companies will be road kill if they simply sit by the wayside.
—Bethany McLean, Fortune, 6 Dec. 1999
This edition supersedes the previous one.
Former stars were being superseded by younger actors.
Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2025
But its recommendations were largely superseded by separate announcements from the Food and Drug Administration leaders and Kennedy, both of whom set new restrictions and requirements for use of COVID-19 vaccines in children and pregnant people.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2025
When Sartre wrote his book, this classical approach to character was about to be superseded by Method acting.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
The bill will now go before Governor Greg Abbott who can sign it into state law, though even if this happens the change wouldn't actually take effect without changes to superseding federal legislation.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for supersede
Cite this Entry
“Supersede.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supersede. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
supersede
verb
Middle English superceden "to defer," from early French superceder, from Latin supersedēre "to sit on top of, refrain from," from super "over, above," and sedēre "to sit"
Legal Definition
supersede
transitive verb
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