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Synonyms of replace in English:


  • 1 Eve replaced the receiver
    put back, return, restore
    [Antonyms] remove
  • 2 a new chairman came in to replace him
    take the place of, succeed, take over from, supersede;
    stand in for, substitute for, deputize for, cover for, relieve
    informal step into someone's shoes/boots
  • 3 she replaced the spoon with a fork
    substitute, exchange, change, swap
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    replace, displace, supersede, supplant
    When a light bulb burns out, you replace it, meaning that you substitute something new or functioning for what is lost, destroyed, or worn out. If something that is obsolete or ineffective is replaced by something that is superior, more up-to-date, or more authoritative, the correct verb is supersede ( the computer superseded the electric typewriter). In contrast, displace suggests that someone or something has been ousted or dislodged forcibly, without necessarily implying that it was inferior or ineffective ( a growing number of workers were being displaced by machines). Supplant is more restricted in meaning; it suggests displacement by force, fraud, or innovation ( the democratic government had been supplanted by a power-hungry tyrant). It can also mean to uproot or wipe out ( the English immigrants gradually supplanted the island's native inhabitants).
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