instead of

Idioms  

1. Also, in lieu of; in place of; in someone's stead. In substitution for, rather than. For example, She wore a dress instead of slacks, or They had a soprano in lieu of a tenor, or In place of soft drinks they served fruit juice, or The chairman spoke in her stead. Instead of dates from about 1200; in lieu of, which borrows lieu, meaning “place,” from French, dates from the late 1200s; in place of dates from the 1500s; and in someone's stead from the 1200s. Also see under in someone's shoes.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

instead of

This approach could make it possible to manufacture large numbers of engineered immune cells from a starting population that can be continually expanded, instead of repeatedly collecting and preparing mature cells.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Dr Hall suggests planning an alternative activity for your child to focus on instead of the party.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

But the ability to hit the Russian archer instead of letting the arrows fall is even better.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Unlike their larger peers, small-cap companies also often rely more heavily on floating-rate debt, instead of locking in borrowing costs through longer-term, fixed-rate bonds.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

On the car past the calliope a Farmer’s Friend wind stacker blew out circulars and handbills instead of chaff.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

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