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 Trump’s strategy in Western Pennsylvania has largely played into its historic role as the center of heavy industry, Shapiro highlighted the role of the thriving technological industry in Pittsburgh that has largely supplanted steel. —Gabrielle M. Etzel, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Nov. 2024

Such data have supplanted inflation reports, which used to be the most important for Wall Street every month but have waned as inflation seems to be heading toward the Fed’s target of 2%. —Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2024

The governor was responding to mounting fears, which have spread widely across the internet, that central bank digital currencies will supplant cash. —Brooke Seipel, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2024

But the intention—to eliminate human interaction from cognitive processes, to teach machines to behave like people—reverberates today, when technologies like AI automation threaten to simulate and supplant human labor amid a promise of enhanced productivity. —Lauren Rosati, Artforum, 1 Oct. 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