v.
Pronunciation: ri- ' pl ā s
Function: transitive verb
Date: 1595
1 : to restore to a former place or position < replace cards in a file>
2 : to take the place of especially as a substitute or successor
3 : to put something new in the place of < replace a worn carpet>
– re · place · able \ - ' pl ā -s ə -b ə l \ adjective
– re · plac · er noun
synonyms 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>.