Home / Words / replicateNo. 0252

replicate

/ˈrɛplɪkeɪt//ˈrɛplɪkeɪt/·verb
to make an exact copy of something, or to reproduce a result
Fig. 1 — One handbag stands under glass on a lit pedestal — stitched once, by hand, the only one of its kind.
01Definition

To replicate is to make an exact copy — or, in science, to run a study again and reproduce its result. The word insists on faithfulness: what comes out should match what went in, whether that is a stamped part, a copied cell, or a repeated experiment. From Latin replicare, 'to fold back', it carries the sense of the same thing produced anew. In research it is the backbone of trust — a finding that cannot be replicated is a finding in doubt, which is what the 'replication crisis' is about.

02In use
  • iA second lab set out to replicate the experiment and quantify the effect independently.
  • iiThe press can replicate a thousand identical parts an hour, each true to the master.
  • iiiBefore a cell divides, it must replicate its DNA so each half inherits the full code.
03Collocations
  • replicate the results
  • replicate a study
  • replicate the experiment
  • difficult to replicate
  • replicate exactly

Family replication (noun) · replica (noun) · replicable (adjective)

04Relations

=duplicate, reproduce, copy, clone, repeat

≠originate, invent

06TOEFL & IELTS

A high-value verb for TOEFL science and IELTS academic writing, where its home is research method: results are replicated to confirm they hold, and the noun replication (and the 'replication crisis') appears in psychology and science passages. The exam-useful nuance is faithfulness — replicate implies reproducing the process or result exactly, which is stronger than a loose 'copy'. Note the biology sense too (DNA replication), and the -ate ending: the verb is REP-li-kate.

07Asked
What is the difference between replicate and duplicate?
Duplicate stresses making a second identical object — a duplicate key, a duplicate file. Replicate stresses reproducing the process or result faithfully, so the copy behaves the same, not just looks the same. In the scene above, the production lines replicate the one handmade bag because every bag they turn out matches it line for line. You duplicate a document; you replicate an experiment or a manufacturing run.
What does it mean to replicate a study?
It means running the study again with the same or equivalent methods — usually new participants or samples — to see whether the original result holds. Replication is how science checks a finding is real and not a fluke or an error. A result that repeats across independent replications earns trust; one that vanishes when others try it is treated with suspicion, however striking it first looked.
What is the replication crisis?
The replication crisis is the discovery that a large share of published findings — especially in psychology and some medical fields — fail to reproduce when other researchers repeat the studies. It has forced reforms: pre-registering methods, sharing data, and valuing replication over novelty. The word sits at its centre, because a claim that cannot be replicated cannot really be relied on, no matter how often it was cited.
What does replicate mean in biology?
In biology it usually means DNA replication — the process by which a cell copies its entire genetic code before dividing, so each new cell inherits a full, matching set. The copying is remarkably faithful, with proofreading to catch errors, which is exactly the word's core sense: the same thing produced anew, true to the original. Viruses are also said to replicate when they hijack a cell to make copies of themselves.
How do you pronounce replicate?
The verb is REP-li-kate, /ˈrɛplɪkeɪt/, stress on the first syllable and a full '-kate' ending like the name Kate. It follows the same -ate pattern as aggregate and validate. The noun replication is rep-li-KAY-shun, with the stress moving to the third syllable, and a replica — the copy itself — is REP-li-kuh.
What is the difference between replicability and reproducibility?
They are close, and often split like this: reproducibility is getting the same result from the same data and methods (rerunning the analysis), while replicability is getting the same result from new data gathered the same way (rerunning the whole study). Reproducibility tests the analysis; replicability tests the finding itself. Definitions vary by field, so careful writing says which it means.
Is replicate just a synonym for copy?
Loosely, but it claims more. Copy is the plain, general word — any reproduction, exact or rough. Replicate implies reproducing something faithfully, so the result matches the original in the ways that matter: a replicated part performs like the master, a replicated study repeats the method exactly. When precision and fidelity are the point — in science, manufacturing, or biology — replicate is the stronger, more formal choice.