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.

---

Example Sentences

If you tell people to torture themselves by listening to their baby cry instead of soothing her, there’s a reasonable possibility that they will report some benefits to the method even if there aren’t any.

From Slate • May 3, 2026

But the company made a big strategic misstep, experts say, by focusing on mainstream routes instead of winning over customers who were looking to fly out of underserved locations.

From MarketWatch • May 2, 2026

Nearly a century later, that same argument still flares, though now it is more likely to involve TikTok, Reddit or YouTube, instead of dear old radio.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

McOsker voted in February to move forward with an unarmed crisis response pilot program that sends counselors instead of police officers to nonviolent mental health emergencies.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

And if Trey had been with me instead of Ethan .

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith