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to replace

to replace

305 1.8
Put something back where it belongs
  • verb
  • /rɪˈpleɪs/
translation icon : volver a colocar
  • After the meeting, I will replace the chairs to their original positions.

Examples

  • Coal has long since replaced wood as the prime energy source for industry.

  • We replaced the entire exhaust system.

  • You may replace your head bandage.

  • Something similar has already happened in Europe, where the euro has replaced the national currencies.

    Academic text (1999)
  • In the Netherlands, the ELIAS computer information system has replaced paper medical records in some general practices.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Hard disks and magnetic tape have replaced the sheet of paper and the file cabinet.

    Academic text (1990)
  • I had to get my driver's license replaced, which meant trekking up Elston by bus.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Most all of the effigy mounds have been plowed under, replaced by corn.

  • She decided to replace the broken window with a new one.

  • We need to replace the old light bulb with a brighter one.

Synonyms

to change
vsto replace
550 1.0

To give something and get something else of the same kind

means putting the same item back rather than getting a different one
to put back
vsto replace
449 1.0

Return something to the place where it was before

is the same idea but expressed as a common two-word phrase
to reinstate
vsto replace
110 5.8

To return a person or thing to a previous position like a job

focuses on physical placement rather than prior status or condition
to restore
vsto replace
70 3.5

Bring back a previous situation, function, or position

focuses on physical putting back rather than returning functions or situations
to reinsert
vsto replace
6 3.9

To put something back where it was

is identical in meaning but differs only in wording and form
to reimplant
vsto replace
  • Specialized
7.2

To put a device, tissue, or organ that was removed back into its original place

is the general action used outside medical or surgical contexts
to restitute
vsto replace
8.9

Make something like it was before or better

focuses on improving condition rather than simple physical placement

Antonyms

1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

How Restored

to restore
219 3.5
to replace
305 1.8
to return
1.0
to put back
449 1.0

Surface Forms

replace infinitive
replaced past
replaced past participle
replacing present participle
replaces third person singular

Morphology

replace = place (transparent) = re + place

In this sense, 'replace' straightforwardly means 'place again' or 'put back where it was'.

Etymology

The word replace comes from the parts re- meaning 'back' and place meaning 'place'. So, to replace something in this sense is to put it back where it belongs.