Replacing one thing with another of the same type.
The soccer coach made a like-for-like substitution, replacing the injured defender with another defensive player.
2011, Denis Riley, Harry Roberts, Riley on Business Interruption Insurance, page 151:
This is more likely to be the case if the replacement machinery is not a like-for-like replacement and involves an element of involuntary betterment with the result that, operatives require additional training […]
2020 August 12, Andrew Mourant, “The tide is turning for a Victorian wonder”, in Rail, page 53:
One example of this is that for operational and safety reasons, the swing bridge won't be functioning, but all its key mechanisms will be retained. "We'll replace components on a like-for-like basis so that it retains its magnificent appearance," Hodgson promises.
(of sales)comparable to the same period in a previous year, at outlets that existed at that period
