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 of supplant

• 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

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

Recent Examples on the Web

With Trevin Wallace coming off season-ending shoulder surgery, Rodriguez could supplant him in the lineup, purely based on his playmaking skills. —Mike Kaye april 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2026

The Saudis wanted to attract Western business, and to have Riyadh supplant Abu Dhabi and Dubai as the Middle East’s economic capital. —Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026

What if it eventually gets superseded by a fuller theory, just as quantum mechanics supplanted Newtonian physics a century ago? —Matt Von Hippel, Quanta Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026

Perkins, who is CEO of Canva, addressed head-on the concerns among many who work in creative industries about the potential for AI to supplant human labor. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for supplant

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

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