Thesaurus results for SUPERSEDE

Q: How is the word 'supersede' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of supersede are displace , replace , and supplant . While all these words mean "to put out of a usual or proper place or into the place of another," supersede implies replacing a person or thing that has become superannuated, obsolete, or otherwise inferior. // the new edition supersedes all previous ones

Q: When is it sensible to use 'displace' instead of 'supersede'?

The synonyms displace and supersede are sometimes interchangeable, but displace implies an ousting or dislodging. // war had displaced thousands

Q: When can 'replace' be used instead of 'supersede'?

While the synonyms replace and supersede are close in meaning, replace implies a filling of a place once occupied by something lost, destroyed, or no longer usable or adequate. // replaced the broken window

Q: Where would 'supplant' be a reasonable alternative to 'supersede'?

The meanings of supplant and supersede largely overlap; however, 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

verb

ˌsü-pər-ˈsēd

Definition of supersede

as in to replace

to take the place of that edition of the dictionary that you have has been superseded by a more recent one

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word supersede distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of supersede are displace, replace, and supplant. While all these words mean "to put out of a usual or proper place or into the place of another," supersede implies replacing a person or thing that has become superannuated, obsolete, or otherwise inferior.

the new edition supersedes all previous ones

When is it sensible to use displace instead of supersede?

The synonyms displace and supersede are sometimes interchangeable, but displace implies an ousting or dislodging.

war had displaced thousands

When can replace be used instead of supersede?

While the synonyms replace and supersede are close in meaning, replace implies a filling of a place once occupied by something lost, destroyed, or no longer usable or adequate.

replaced the broken window

Where would supplant be a reasonable alternative to supersede?

The meanings of supplant and supersede largely overlap; however, 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of supersede The 2021 memo was also superseded by the 2023 memo. —Tara Suter, The Hill, 10 Mar. 2025 But a few days later, in a show of authority that superseded California’s own water policy, Trump ordered the US Army Corps to open two dams in central California, which ultimately flooded farmland in the San Joaquin Valley with 2.2 billion gallons of fresh water. —Ella Nilsen, CNN, 7 Mar. 2025 Wearing tan prison garb and sporting a newly gray head of hair and beard, Combs, 55, denied the new allegations included in a superseding indictment prosecutors filed in March. —Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2025 The superseding indictment included additional allegations related to racketeering conspiracy but no new charges. —Dan Heching, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for supersede