Replaced By or Replaced With?
To replace is to put something new in the place of something old. The preposition that follows depends on what you mean.
To replace is to take the place of something, or to put something new in its place. The prepositions differ subtly: *replaced by* points to what took over, and *replaced with* points to what you chose to put there. The old boiler was replaced with a heat pump, by a contractor.
- To put something new in place of. *Replace the battery.*
- To take the place of. *Nothing can replace experience.*
- To put back. *Replace the book on the shelf.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | replace | Replace the filter. |
| Past | replaced | Replaced last year. |
| Noun | replacement | A replacement part. |
| Adjective | replaceable | Easily replaceable. |
| Opposite | irreplaceable | An irreplaceable colleague. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The manager was replaced by his assistant.By names who took over.
- We replaced the carpet with tiles.With names what we chose.
- Please replace the lid after use.Put it back.
Replace and its relatives
- Replace — put something in the place of another
- Substitute — use in place of, often temporarily
- Supersede — replace something now considered obsolete
- Displace — force out of position
- Renew — replace with something of the same kind
A compound of *re-* and *place*, formed in English in the seventeenth century. *Place* itself comes from Greek *plateia*, a broad street, through Latin and French.
Replaced by or with?
By points to the successor or the agent; with points to what was chosen. Both are correct, and the difference is one of emphasis.
Supersede or supercede?
Supersede. It comes from Latin *sedere*, to sit, not from *cedere*, and is one of the most commonly misspelled words in English.