[re.place] vt (1595) 1: to restore to a former place or position "~ cards in a file"
2: to take the place of esp. as a substitute or successor
3: to put something new in the place of "~ a worn carpet" -- re.place.able adj -- re.plac.er n syn 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".