supplant

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

Synonyms

• cut out
• displace
• displant
• relieve
• replace
• substitute
• 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

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

Recent Examples on the Web

While ostensibly preferable to AI girlfriend apps seeking to supplant IRL relationships, an app designed to coach men to get better at talking to women by creating a robot woman who is a total killjoy might actually be even worse. —Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 18 Apr. 2024

The other player Moody might have a case to supplant is Saric, whose minutes have also been crunched recently. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024

He had seemingly been supplanted by the younger Hardik Pandya, who replaced him as skipper of IPL powerhouse Mumbai Indians. —Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024

An illiberal, China-centric world order could supplant the liberal, U.S.-led system that for 80 years has underpinned remarkable improvement in the human condition. —Andrew S. Erickson, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2024

The show has supplanted True Detective’s first season, which aired a decade ago, as the biggest to date; season one averaged 11.9 million viewers across platforms (HBO measures viewing for 90 days after a season premiere). —Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2024

Every possible cause was quickly supplanted by the next, sometimes with wildly different ramifications. —Clare Beams, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024

Since the pandemic, Japanese anime arguably has supplanted Hollywood tentpole fare as Chinese filmgoers’ favorite international film category. —Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024

FanDuel supplanted them, and the sports book’s odds are now appearing alongside highlight videos posted by official team social media accounts. —Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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