Emplace vs. Place — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on May 9, 2024
Emplace involves putting something in a specific, often careful or strategic, position, while place generally means to set something down or position it without such specificity.
Difference Between Emplace and Place
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Emplace is used to denote the action of inserting or fixing something in a precise location, often with intentionality and care, whereas place is a more general term that refers to the act of putting or setting something down, typically without an emphasis on precision.
Emplace often carries a connotation of integration into a structure or system, suggesting a certain permanence or specificity, while place can be used more broadly and casually, encompassing a wide range of contexts without necessarily implying permanence.
In military contexts, emplace is specifically used to refer to the positioning of weapons or troops in strategic locations, highlighting its association with tactical precision; on the other hand, place can be used in both civilian and military contexts without such specific connotations.
Emplace is less commonly used in everyday language and tends to appear more in technical or formal descriptions, whereas place is ubiquitous across all forms of English communication, indicating its versatility.
Emplace implies a careful consideration of where and how something is inserted or installed, suggesting a level of forethought, while place is more neutral, simply indicating the action of positioning without inherent emphasis on the method or precision.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
To put into a specific position with care or precision
To set down or position generally
Usage Frequency
Less common, more formal
Common, used in everyday language
Connotation
Precision, integration into a system
General positioning without specific precision
Typical Contexts
Technical, military
General, versatile across contexts
Example of Usage
"The artillery was emplaced on the hill."
"Please place the book on the table."
Compare with Definitions
Emplace
To position strategically within a structure.
Sensors were emplaced throughout the building.
Place
To locate or find a setting for.
We placed the new graduate in the marketing department.
Emplace
To install in a specific position with precision.
The statue was emplaced at the entrance.
Place
To put in a particular position.
He placed the vase on the shelf.
Emplace
To set up with intention in a tactical situation.
They emplaced the troops before dawn.
Place
To arrange or position without special conditions.
She placed the chairs around the room.
Emplace
To insert with care into a predetermined spot.
The new component was emplaced in the circuit board.
Place
To set down something in a location.
Place your bags by the door.
Emplace
To establish firmly within a particular context.
The rules were emplaced by the committee last year.
Place
To appoint or assign to a position.
He was placed in charge of the project.
Emplace
To put into place or position
Emplace a fortification on the hilltop.
Place
A particular position, point, or area in space; a location
The monastery was a peaceful place
He would always have a special place in her heart
I can't be in two places at once
That street was no place for a lady
Emplace
To assign a position to something, or to locate something at a particular place
Place
A portion of space designated or available for or being used by someone
Jackie had saved her a place
They hurried to their places at the table
Emplace
To put into place or position; to fix on an emplacement.
Place
A position in a sequence or series, typically one ordered on the basis of merit
His score left him in ninth place
Emplace
Provide a new emplacement for guns
Place
A square or short street
The lecture theatre is in New Burlington Place
Emplace
Put into place or position;
The box with the ancestors' ashes was emplaced on the top shelf of the house altar
Place
Put in a particular position
A newspaper had been placed beside my plate
Place
Find a home or employment for
The children were placed with foster-parents
Place
Identify or classify as being of a specified type or as holding a specified position in a sequence or hierarchy
A survey placed the company 13th for achievement
Place
Score (a goal) by a place kick.
Place
An area with definite or indefinite boundaries; a portion of space.
Place
Room or space, especially adequate space
There is place for everyone at the back of the room.
Place
The particular portion of space occupied by or allocated to a person or thing.
Place
A building or an area set aside for a specified purpose
A place of worship.
Place
A dwelling; a house
Bought a place on the lake.
Place
A business establishment or office.
Place
A locality, such as a town or city
Visited many places.
Place
Abbr. Pl. A public square or street with houses in a town.
Place
A space in which one person, such as a passenger or spectator, can sit or stand.
Place
A setting for one person at a table.
Place
A position regarded as belonging to someone or something else; stead
She was chosen in his place.
Place
A particular point that one has reached, as in a book
I have lost my place.
Place
A particular spot, as on the body
The place that hurts.
Place
The proper or designated role or function
The place of the media in a free society.
Place
The proper or customary position or order
These books are out of place.
Place
A suitable setting or occasion
Not the place to argue.
Place
The appropriate right or duty
Not her place to criticize.
Place
Social station
He overstepped his place.
Place
A particular situation or circumstance
Put yourself in my place.
Place
High rank or status.
Place
A job, post, or position
Found a place in the company.
Place
Relative position in a series; standing.
Place
(Games) Second position for betting purposes, as in a horserace.
Place
The specified stage in a list of points to be made, as in an argument
In the first place.
Place
(Mathematics) A position in a numeral or series.
Place
To put in or as if in a particular place or position; set.
Place
To put in a specified relation or order
Place the words in alphabetical order.
Place
To offer for consideration
Placed the matter before the board.
Place
To find accommodation or employment for.
Place
To put into a particular condition
Placed him under arrest.
Place
To arrange for the publication or display of
Place an advertisement in the newspaper.
Place
To appoint to a post
Placed her in a key position.
Place
To rank in an order or sequence
I'd place him second best.
Place
To estimate
Placed the distance at 100 feet.
Place
To identify or classify in a particular context
Could not place that person's face.
Place
To give an order for
Place a bet.
Place
To apply or arrange for
Place an order.
Place
To make or obtain a connection for (a telephone call).
Place
To sell (a new issue of stock, bonds, or other securities).
Place
To adjust (one's voice) for the best possible effects.
Place
To be among those who finish a competition or race, especially to finish second.
Place
(physical) An area; somewhere within an area.
Place
An open space, particularly a city square, market square, or courtyard.
Place
A street, sometimes but not always surrounding a public place, square, or plaza of the same name.
They live at Westminster Place.
Place
An inhabited area: a village, town, or city.
Place
Any area of the earth: a region.
He is going back to his native place on vacation.
Place
The area one occupies, particularly somewhere to sit.
We asked the restaurant to give us a table with three places.
Place
The area where one lives: one's home, formerly country estates and farms.
Do you want to come over to my place later?
Place
An area of the body, especially the skin.
Which place hurts the most?
Place
An area to urinate and defecate: an outhouse or lavatory.
Place
An area to fight: a battlefield or the contested ground in a battle.
Place
A location or position in space.
Place
A particular location in a book or document, particularly the current location of a reader.
Place
A passage or extract from a book or document.
Place
A topic.
Place
A state of mind.
I'm in a strange place at the moment.
Place
A chess position; a square of the chessboard.
Place
(social) A responsibility or position in an organization.
Place
A role or purpose; a station.
It is really not my place to say what is right and wrong in this case.
Place
The position of a contestant in a competition.
We thought we would win but only ended up in fourth place.
Place
(horse-racing) The position of first, second, or third at the finish, especially the second position.
To win a bet on a horse for place
Place
The position as a member of a sports team.
He lost his place in the national team.
Place
A fortified position: a fortress, citadel, or walled town.
Place
Numerically, the column counting a certain quantity.
Three decimal places;
The hundreds place
Place
Ordinal relation; position in the order of proceeding.
That's what I said in the first place!
Place
Reception; effect; implying the making room for.
Place
(transitive) To put (an object or person) in a specific location.
He placed the glass on the table.
Place
(intransitive) To earn a given spot in a competition.
The Cowboys placed third in the league.
Place
To finish second, especially of horses or dogs.
In the third race: Aces Up won, paying eight dollars; Blarney Stone placed, paying three dollars; and Cinnamon showed, paying five dollars.
Place
To rank at (a certain position, often followed by an ordinal) as in a horse race.
Run Ragged was placed fourth in the race.
Place
(transitive) To remember where and when (an object or person) has been previously encountered.
I've seen him before, but I can't quite place where.
Place
(transitive) To sing (a note) with the correct pitch.
Place
(transitive) To arrange for or to make (a bet).
I placed ten dollars on the Lakers beating the Bulls.
Place
(transitive) To establish a call connection by telephone or similar.
Place
(transitive) To recruit or match an appropriate person for a job, or a home for an animal for adoption, etc.
They phoned hoping to place her in the management team.
Place
To place-kick (a goal).
Place
Any portion of space regarded as measured off or distinct from all other space, or appropriated to some definite object or use; position; ground; site; spot; rarely, unbounded space.
Here is the place appointed.
What place can be for usWithin heaven's bound?
The word place has sometimes a more confused sense, and stands for that space which any body takes up; and so the universe is a place.
Place
A broad way in a city; an open space; an area; a court or short part of a street open only at one end.
Place
A position which is occupied and held; a dwelling; a mansion; a village, town, or city; a fortified town or post; a stronghold; a region or country.
Are you native of this place?
Place
Rank; degree; grade; order of priority, advancement, dignity, or importance; especially, social rank or position; condition; also, official station; occupation; calling.
Men in great place are thrice servants.
I know my place as I would they should do theirs.
Place
Vacated or relinquished space; room; stead (the departure or removal of another being or thing being implied).
Place
A definite position or passage of a document.
The place of the scripture which he read was this.
Place
Ordinal relation; position in the order of proceeding; as, he said in the first place.
Place
Reception; effect; - implying the making room for.
My word hath no place in you.
Place
Position in the heavens, as of a heavenly body; - usually defined by its right ascension and declination, or by its latitude and longitude.
Place
The position of first, second, or third at the finish, esp. the second position. In betting, to win a bet on a horse for place it must, in the United States, finish first or second, in England, usually, first, second, or third.
Place
To assign a place to; to put in a particular spot or place, or in a certain relative position; to direct to a particular place; to fix; to settle; to locate; as, to place a book on a shelf; to place balls in tennis.
Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown.
Place
To put or set in a particular rank, office, or position; to surround with particular circumstances or relations in life; to appoint to certain station or condition of life; as, in whatever sphere one is placed.
Place such over them to be rulers.
Place
To put out at interest; to invest; to loan; as, to place money in a bank.
Place
To set; to fix; to repose; as, to place confidence in a friend.
Place
To attribute; to ascribe; to set down.
Place it for her chief virtue.
Place
To determine or announce the place of at the finish. Usually, in horse racing only the first three horses are placed officially.
Place
To place-kick ( a goal).
Place
To recognize or identify (a person).
Place
A point located with respect to surface features of some region;
This is a nice place for a picnic
Place
Any area set aside for a particular purpose;
Who owns this place?
The president was concerned about the property across from the White House
Place
An abstract mental location;
He has a special place in my thoughts
A place in my heart
A political system with no place for the less prominent groups
Place
A general vicinity;
He comes from a place near Chicago
Place
The function or position properly or customarily occupied or served by another;
Can you go in my stead?
Took his place
In lieu of
Place
A particular situation;
If you were in my place what would you do?
Place
Where you live at a particular time;
Deliver the package to my home
He doesn't have a home to go to
Your place or mine?
Place
A job in an organization;
He occupied a post in the treasury
Place
The particular portion of space occupied by a physical object;
He put the lamp back in its place
Place
Proper or designated social situation;
He overstepped his place
The responsibilities of a man in his station
Married above her station
Place
A space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane);
He booked their seats in advance
He sat in someone else's place
Place
The passage that is being read;
He lost his place on the page
Place
Proper or appropriate position or location;
A woman's place is no longer in the kitchen
Place
A public square with room for pedestrians;
They met at Elm Plaza
Grosvenor Place
Place
An item on a list or in a sequence;
In the second place
Moved from third to fifth position
Place
A blank area;
Write your name in the space provided
Place
Put into a certain place or abstract location;
Put your things here
Set the tray down
Set the dogs on the scent of the missing children
Place emphasis on a certain point
Place
Place somebody in a particular situation or location;
He was placed on probation
Place
Assign a rank or rating to;
How would you rank these students?
The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide
Place
Assign a location to;
The company located some of their agents in Los Angeles
Place
To arrange for;
Place a phone call
Place a bet
Place
Take a place in a competition; often followed by an ordinal;
Jerry came in third in the Marathon
Place
Intend (something) to move towards a certain goal;
He aimed his fists towards his opponent's face
Criticism directed at her superior
Direct your anger towards others, not towards yourself
Place
Recognize as being; establish the identity of someone or something;
She identified the man on the 'wanted' poster
Place
Assign to (a job or a home)
Place
Locate;
The film is set in Africa
Place
Estimate;
We put the time of arrival at 8 P.M.
Place
Identify the location or place of;
We localized the source of the infection
Place
Make an investment;
Put money into bonds
Place
Assign to a station
Place
Finish second or better in a horse or dog race;
He bet $2 on number six to place
Place
Sing a note with the correct pitch
Common Curiosities
Can the term emplace be used in casual conversation?
While technically correct, using emplace in casual conversation is uncommon and may sound overly formal or technical.
Is there a physical difference in how items are handled when using emplace vs. place?
Yes, emplacing generally involves more careful handling and consideration of the item's role and position within a larger system, unlike placing, which is more about general positioning.
What does it mean to emplace something?
To emplace something means to position it very precisely or strategically, usually with a specific purpose or integration in mind.
How does the frequency of usage compare between emplace and place in literature?
"Place" is far more commonly used in literature due to its broader and more general application, while "emplace" appears more in specialized or technical texts.
Are there any synonyms for emplace that might be more commonly understood?
Synonyms like "install", "position", or "situate" might be more commonly understood and are similar in meaning to emplace.
Are there any common errors when using emplace and place?
A common error is using emplace in a casual context where the simpler "place" would be more appropriate, making the language unnecessarily formal or confusing.
Can place be used in the same technical contexts as emplace?
Place can be used in technical contexts, but it lacks the connotation of precision and strategic planning that emplace carries.
What is the etymology of emplace?
Emplace derives from the French word "emplacer", meaning to place, which emphasizes the action of positioning with purpose.
Can using place in place of emplace lead to misunderstandings in technical documentation?
Yes, using place instead of emplace in technical documentation could lead to misunderstandings about the precision and intention of the placement described.
What scenarios typically call for the use of the term emplace?
Scenarios involving military tactics, technical installations, or any context requiring precise placement within a structure or system typically use the term emplace.
Is emplace used in specific industries or fields?
Yes, emplace is particularly used in military, engineering, and certain technology fields where precise placement is critical.
Are there any visual aids that typically accompany the use of emplace in documentation?
In technical documentation, diagrams or detailed illustrations often accompany the use of emplace to clarify the exact positioning and integration of components.
How does one decide whether to use emplace or place in writing?
The decision depends on the level of precision needed in describing the action; emplace should be used when a specific, strategic positioning is implied.
What impact does the choice between emplace and place have on the clarity of technical instructions?
Choosing emplace over place in technical instructions can enhance clarity by emphasizing the need for precise and deliberate positioning.
Does using emplace instead of place change the perception of an action?
Yes, using emplace can imply a more deliberate, thoughtful action, suggesting that the placement is crucial to the function or strategy.
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Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
