substation

American  

[suhb-stay-shuhn] / ˈsʌbˌsteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a branch of a main post office.

2. an auxiliary power station where electrical current is converted, as from AC to DC, voltage is stepped up or down, etc.

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substation British  

/ ˈsʌbˌsteɪʃən /

noun

1. a subsidiary station

2. an installation at which electricity is received from one or more power stations for conversion from alternating to direct current, reducing the voltage, or switching before distribution by a low-tension network

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Etymology

Origin of substation

First recorded in 1885–90; sub- + station

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

substation

His vice president, Muhammed Jallow, said during a visit to a transmitter substation in the town of Bijilo on Saturday that Barrow has set up a taskforce that is "meeting literally on a daily basis".

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

The cluster would, the company declared, be "more than twice the size of many of today's leading campuses", comprising various buildings, an on-site electrical substation and wildflower areas.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026

On a recent day, a group of emergency energy engineers gathered at a transformer substation to carry out repairs after residents turned on all their equipment at once when power was restored, overloading the system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026

West Virginia is now on the frontline of a national shift that most people won’t notice until it shows up in their own bills, water tables or the substation down the road.

From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2025

They run, as carefully and as quickly as they can, until they reach the wide platform of a substation.

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner

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