Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To take the place of or substitute for (another): synonym: replace.
  • transitive verb To usurp the place of, especially through intrigue or underhanded tactics.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To trip up, as the heels.
  • To overthrow; cause the downfall of; destroy; uproot.
  • To remove; displace; drive or force away.
  • To displace and take the place of, especially (of persons) by scheming or strategy.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb obsolete To trip up.
  • transitive verb To remove or displace by stratagem; to displace and take the place of; to supersede.
  • transitive verb To overthrow, undermine, or force away, in order to get a substitute in place of.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To take the place of; to replace, to supersede.
  • verb transitive, obsolete To uproot, to remove violently.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb take the place or move into the position of

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English supplanten, to trip up, cause to stumble, from Old French supplanter, from Latin supplantāre, to trip up : sub-, sub- + planta, sole of the foot; see plat- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French supplanter, from Latin supplantō ("trip up"), from sub ("under") + planta ("sole").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word supplant.

Examples

  • In the process, he helped Combs 'Bad Boy label supplant Death Row as the biggest hip-hop imprint in America, and also paved the way to popular success for other East Coast talents like Jay-Z and Nas.

    VIBE Magazine 2009

  • In the process, he helped Combs 'Bad Boy label supplant Death Row as the biggest hip-hop imprint in America, and also paved the way to popular success for other East Coast talents like Jay-Z and Nas.

    VIBE Magazine 2009

  • We have made the idea supplant both impulse and tradition.

    Fantasia of the Unconscious 1907

  • Their international vision does not extend beyond an insatiable thirst for economic power, the report finds; what's more, they seek to "supplant" Western values and impose their own on the world.

    A Case Of Ja-Panic 2008

  • McCain has said the League would not "supplant" the United Nations, though neoconservatives have suggested with approval that it could do just that.

    John Wihbey: McCain's "League," and Obama's Debate Dilemma 2008

  • And you have to kind of supplant that as the joints get a little creekier.

    CNN Transcript Mar 17, 2007 2007

  • BRIAN REYNOLDS, LIFTS WEIGHTS: You know, I used to play basketball, be able to run full court and you have to kind of supplant that as the joints get a little creakier.

    CNN Transcript Feb 8, 2006 2006

  • And you have to kind of supplant that as the joints get a little creekier.

    CNN Transcript Oct 21, 2006 2006

  • I was in China, Japan and South Korea in June of this past year, and I will say that I think most of the countries of Asia look to us to continue to be a major influence and an active player in Asia, because they don't want to see China "supplant," quote/unquote, the United States.

    CNN Transcript Jan 18, 2005 2005

  • Hemp is an underutilised plant that could 'supplant' many imported industrial products, and would be domestically generated, creating employment for UK natives.

    The Independent - Frontpage RSS Feed 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • It was another matter to supplant her in the part of a corpse at a mock funeral. -- ''Yashima, or, The Gorgeous West'' by R T Sherwood, 1931.

    December 24, 2008

  • Denethor used this word when he was talking to Gandalf about Aragorn becoming king.

    June 9, 2012

  • verb: take the place or move into the position of

    For many, a cell phone has supplanted a traditional phone; in fact, most 20-somethings don't even have a traditional phone anymore.

    October 19, 2016