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

"It is the first attempt in history to substitute the human mind with a machine," the official collection description reads.

Read more on BBC

Her solitary international appearance came as a substitute in a 6-0 victory over Chinese Taipei, but she is eligible to switch allegiances to Wales because that was not a competitive game.

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The auction house had described the machine as "nothing less than the first attempt in history to substitute the work of a machine for that of the human mind".

Read more on Barron's

The Jamaicans hit the the woodwork three times in the second half, with substitute Bailey-Tye Cadamarteri going agonizingly close with a header that crashed off the post in the 87th minute.

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"But we made adjustments, changed some players, and our substitutes performed better."

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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.