Lodash _.replace() Method

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll use Lodash’s _.replace() confidently in real string workflows.

What Is _.replace()?

_.replace() searches a string for a pattern (string or RegExp) and substitutes a replacement string or function. It mirrors String.prototype.replace() with lodash’s consistent API.

📝 Syntax

_.replace(string, pattern, replacement)

Syntax Rules

• string — The source string to search.
• pattern — String or RegExp to match.
• replacement — Replacement string or callback function.
• Return value — New string with substitutions applied.
• Global flag — Use /pattern/g for all matches with RegExp.

import replace from "lodash/replace";

const result = replace("Hello world", "world", "lodash");
// -> "Hello lodash"

Examples Gallery

Practical _.replace() patterns with copy-ready code and interactive Try It Yourself labs.

const text = "Hello world, hello universe!";
const result = _.replace(text, "hello", "hi");

console.log(result);
// -> "Hello world, hi universe!"

Hello world, hi universe!

const text = "Hello world, hello universe!";
const result = _.replace(text, /hello/gi, "hi");

console.log(result);
// -> "hi world, hi universe!"

hi world, hi universe!

const tpl = "Hello, {name}! Welcome to {place}.";
const data = { name: "Alice", place: "Wonderland" };

const result = _.replace(tpl, /{([^}]+)}/g, (match, key) => data[key]);
console.log(result);

Hello, Alice! Welcome to Wonderland.

const log = "User: John, SSN: 123-45-6789";
const safe = _.replace(log, /\b\d{3}-\d{2}-\d{4}\b/g, "***-**-****");
// -> "User: John, SSN: ***-**-****"

User: John, SSN: ***-**-****

const url = "https://example.com/users/12345";
const rewritten = _.replace(url, /\/users\/\d+/, "/profile");
// -> "https://example.com/profile"

https://example.com/profile

const text = "foo bar foo";
const native = text.replace(/foo/g, "baz");
const lodash = _.replace(text, /foo/g, "baz");
// both -> "baz bar baz"

Both approaches yield: baz bar baz

📝 Notes

• String patterns replace only the first occurrence.
• Use RegExp with g flag for global replacement.
• Replacement can be a function receiving match details.
• Does not mutate the original string.
• For simple literal global replace, replaceAll() (ES2021) works too.
• Escape regex metacharacters when matching literals—see _.escapeRegExp().

💡 Best Practices