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

The winger represented Japan at the 2022 World Cup, coming on as a substitute in all four of their matches and scoring the winning goal in the stunning victory over Spain.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

The most productive users who can’t substitute away then can’t get the energy they need, and suppliers see no incentive to help.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Salt substitute use was self-reported, which may have led to underreporting or misclassification.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

He reminded investors that there’s no substitute for” long-term, line-by-line analysis of capital structures” rather than relying on market sentiment to tell you when a crisis is brewing.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

Food was weak coffee substitute in the morning, watery soup at lunch, and bread at night.

From "Prisoner B-3087" by Alan Gratz

Related Words

• backup
• replacement
• stand-in
• surrogate