substitute

American  

[suhb-sti-toot, -tyoot] / ˈsʌb stɪˌtut, -ˌtyut /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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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

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.

Other Word Forms

• 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
• substitutability noun
• substitutable adjective
• substituter noun
• substitutingly adverb
• substitution noun
• substitutional adjective
• substitutionally adverb
• substitutionary adjective
• unsubstituted adjective

Etymology

Origin of substitute

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 )

Example Sentences

"It's been a massive week for us," said Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, a second-half substitute after returning from a knee injury.

From Barron's

Shirt pulling then cost the South Africans a penalty and Togolese substitute Marouf Tchakei levelled by firing a low spot kick into the corner of the net.

From Barron's

Bonds was an unused substitute when England, with his former West Ham manager Ron Greenwood in charge, beat Italy 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley in November 1977.

From BBC

Forward Freya Godfrey, 20, was an unused substitute after earning her first call-up this week, while Taylor Hinds picked up her second cap, but only played 15 minutes.

From BBC

They showed their feelings about his team selection and substitutes, quite openly.

From BBC

Related Words

• backup
• replacement
• stand-in
• surrogate