substitute

[suhb-sti-toot, -tyoot]

noun

1. a person or thing acting or serving in place of another.

   Synonyms: equivalent, replacement, alternative

2. (formerly) a person who, for payment, served in an army or navy in the place of a conscript.

3. Grammar.,  a word that functions as a replacement for any member of a class of words or constructions, as do in He doesn't know but I do.

verb (used with object)

substituted, substituting 

1. to put (a person or thing) in the place of another.

2. to take the place of; replace.

3. Chemistry.,  to replace (one or more elements or groups in a compound) by other elements or groups.

verb (used without object)

substituted, substituting 

1. to act as a substitute.

adjective

1. of or relating to a substitute or substitutes.

2. composed of substitutes.

substitute

/ ˈsʌbstɪˌtjuːt /

verb

1. (often foll by for) to serve or cause to serve in place of another person or thing

2. chem to replace (an atom or group in a molecule) with (another atom or group)

3. logic maths to replace (one expression) by (another) in the context of a third, as replacing x + y for x in 3 x = k gives 3 x + 3 y = k

noun

1. 1. a person or thing that serves in place of another, such as a player in a game who takes the place of an injured colleague

   2. Often shortened to: sub. ( as modifier )

      a substitute goalkeeper

2. grammar another name for pro-form

3. another name for supply teacher

4. nautical another word for repeater

5. (formerly) a person paid to replace another due for military service

Usage

Substitute is sometimes wrongly used where replace is meant: he replaced (not substituted ) the worn tyre with a new one

Other Word Forms

• substitutable adjective
• substitutability noun
• substituter noun
• substitutingly adverb
• substitution noun
• substitutional adjective
• substitutionary adjective
• substitutionally adverb
• intersubstitutability noun
• intersubstitutable adjective
• intersubstitution noun
• nonsubstituted adjective
• nonsubstitution noun
• nonsubstitutional adjective
• nonsubstitutionally adverb
• nonsubstitutionary adjective
• presubstitute verb (used with object)
• presubstitution noun
• prosubstitution adjective
• unsubstituted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of substitute¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin substitūtus “replaced,” past participle of substituere “to put in place of,” from sub- sub- + -stituere, combining form of statuere “to set up, erect” ( substituent )

Word History and Origins

Origin of substitute¹

C16: from Latin substituere, from sub- in place of + statuere to set up

Example Sentences

Her clothes have been lost en route, and she furiously rejected all proffered substitutes.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

But this was no substitute for them playing on a team—or for me cheering on the bleachers.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

There “is no substitute for economic strength. This lesson is reinforced by recent geopolitical developments,” said Ambani.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

He dismissed the notion his side looked tired against limited opponents, even though they only had eight substitutes, including two goalkeepers, when they could have named 11.

Read more on BBC

“There’s always a way we can substitute ... items in a recipe,” Fong said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• backup 
• replacement 
• stand-in 
• surrogate 

When To Use

What does substitute mean?

A substitute is someone or something that takes the place of another person or thing. As a verb, to substitute means to make such a switch.Substitute is used in a variety of contexts, but it is perhaps most commonly associated with substitute teachers and players in team sports who replace a player in the game. In both cases, the word is often shortened as sub.Example: Mr. Jones was sick today so we had a substitute.