English Reference

Word

replacement

Phoneticsre·place·ment

US/ɹɪˈpɫeɪsmənt/

UK/ɹɪplˈeɪsmənt/

Definitions

01a substitute person or thing

B1

n. a person or thing that takes the place of someone or something else.

n. a person or object that serves as a substitute for another that has been removed, lost, or worn out.

“The team had to find a replacement for their star player after he got injured.”

“The HR department is currently interviewing candidates to find a suitable replacement for the outgoing marketing director.”

Antonyms

02the act of substituting

B2

n. the act of putting something new in the place of something old or broken.

n. the process or action of substituting one thing or person for another.

“The replacement of the old windows took three days to finish.”

“The gradual replacement of manual labour with automated systems has significantly altered the local economy over the last decade.”

03crystal structure

C2 · Science

n. a change in the shape of a crystal where one part is removed and replaced by a flat surface.

n. the removal of an edge or angle of a crystal and its substitution by one or more planes.

“The geologist explained how the replacement of the crystal's edge occurred during its formation.”

“In crystallography, the replacement of a primitive edge by a secondary plane provides insight into the mineral's growth conditions.”

Technical

Real-World Examples

“She needed an aortic valve replacement and two coronary bypasses to fix a condition spotted initially by her partner, who noticed her heart was skipping a beat.”
The Guardian · 28 Jul 2026
“You might think Flick would have pursued a high-profile replacement, but he must figure the position has been covered.”
Al Jazeera · 14 Aug 2026
“Perhaps most importantly, Leavitt's replacement will also be expected to live up to Trump's expectations.”
BBC News · 13 Aug 2026

Etymology

From replace + -ment.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

replaceVerbreplacementNoun

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Common
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/replacement

English Reference