supplant

1 of 2

verb

sup·​plant sə-ˈplant 

supplanted; supplanting; supplants

transitive verb

1

: to supersede (another) especially by force or treachery

2

a(1)

obsolete : uproot

(2)

: to eradicate and supply a substitute for

efforts to supplant the vernacular

b

: to take the place of and serve as a substitute for especially by reason of superior excellence or power

supplantation

(ˌ)sə-ˌplan-ˈtā-shən 

noun

supplanter

sə-ˈplan-tər 

noun

supplantation

2 of 2

noun

sup·​plan·​ta·​tion (ˌ)səˌplan‧ˈtāshən 

plural -s

: the act or process of supplanting : dispossession, supersession

Synonyms of supplant

Verb

• replace
• supersede

Choose the Right Synonym for supplant

replace, displace, supplant, supersede 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

displace implies an ousting or dislodging.

war had displaced thousands

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

supersede implies replacing a person or thing that has become superannuated, obsolete, or otherwise inferior.

the new edition supersedes all previous ones

Examples of supplant in a Sentence

Verb

old traditions that were fading away and being supplanted by modern ways

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

With the games having kicked off, the sport has shown its ineffable power to supplant crass and capitalistic overreach. —Emily Olsen, New York Times, 16 June 2026

Marathon-training regimens were the subject of office bonding; lunch-hour jogs supplanted a previous generation’s golf and Martinis as occasions for networking. —Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

At the newlyweds’ reception, sushi boats and shrimp ceviche spoons supplant tabbouleh. —Ani Duzdabanyan, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026

Although the Pulse massacre’s status as the country’s deadliest was supplanted the year after that June night, in Las Vegas in 2017, its resonance remains for the broad community that suffered through it or came to understand it, here and around the world. —Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French supplanter, from Latin supplantare to trip up, cause to stumble, from sub- + planta sole of the foot — more at place

Noun

Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin supplantation-, supplantatio, from Latin supplantatus (past participle of supplantare to overthrow) + -ion-, -io -ion

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for supplant

• decant
• descant
• eggplant
• enchant
• explant
• implant
• preplant
• recant
• replant
• transplant
• ant
• aunt

Kids Definition

supplant

verb

sup·​plant sə-ˈplant 

1

: to take the place of (another) especially by force or treachery

2

a

: to root out and supply a substitute for

b

: to gain the place of and serve as a substitute for especially by reason of superior excellence or power

supplantation

(ˌ)sə-ˌplan-ˈtā-shən 

noun

supplanter

sə-ˈplant-ər 

noun