substitute
a person or thing acting or serving in place of another.
(formerly) a person who, for payment, served in an army or navy in the place of a conscript.
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.
to put (a person or thing) in the place of another.
to take the place of; replace.
Chemistry. to replace (one or more elements or groups in a compound) by other elements or groups.
to act as a substitute.
of or relating to a substitute or substitutes.
composed of substitutes.
Origin of substitute
1Other words for substitute
Other words from substitute
- sub·sti·tut·a·ble, adjective
- sub·sti·tut·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- sub·sti·tut·er, noun
- sub·sti·tut·ing·ly, adverb
- sub·sti·tu·tion, noun
- sub·sti·tu·tion·al, sub·sti·tu·tion·ar·y [suhb-sti-too-shuh-ner-ee, -tyoo-], /ˌsʌb stɪˈtu ʃəˌnɛr i, -ˈtyu-/, adjective
- sub·sti·tu·tion·al·ly, adverb
- in·ter·sub·sti·tut·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- in·ter·sub·sti·tut·a·ble, adjective
- in·ter·sub·sti·tu·tion, noun
- non·sub·sti·tut·ed, adjective
- non·sub·sti·tu·tion, noun
- non·sub·sti·tu·tion·al, adjective
- non·sub·sti·tu·tion·al·ly, adverb
- non·sub·sti·tu·tion·ar·y, adjective
- pre·sub·sti·tute, verb (used with object), pre·sub·sti·tut·ed, pre·sub·sti·tut·ing.
- pre·sub·sti·tu·tion, noun
- pro·sub·sti·tu·tion, adjective
- un·sub·sti·tut·ed, adjective
Words Nearby substitute
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use substitute in a sentence
In place of dark matter, they substitute a subtly modified force of gravity.
Educators across the spectrum have acknowledged that online teaching, no matter its quality, is a poor substitute for in-person teaching.
The Learning Curve: The Dystopian Future of ‘Learning Pods’ | Will Huntsberry | July 16, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoGödel’s extra insight was that he could substitute a formula’s own Gödel number in the formula itself, leading to no end of trouble.
Many leaders have acknowledged that online education is a poor substitute for in-person learning.
San Diego Unified Decision Underscores Districts’ Wildly Different Reopening Plans | Will Huntsberry | July 13, 2020 | Voice of San Diego“I think we’re substituting one form of inequity for another,” Wulfeck said.
If Your Local Park Sucks, This Is Probably Why | MacKenzie Elmer | July 6, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
The substitute nurse says to him in a stage whisper, “You know, the doctor says no vodka.”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut in the end there is no substitute for government when it comes to war fighting.
Innovation is a poor substitute for insight, at least where boyhood is concerned.
This clean source of caffeine is the next noble, and healthy, substitute for your daily cup of coffee.
Bye Bye Latté, Hello Guayusa: Why The Amazon Holds the Secret to a Cleaner, Healthier Caffeine | Brandon Presser | August 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnnunziato and Akerman are in agreement that CrowdMed is best deployed as a supplement, not a substitute.
Strangers Diagnose Your Illness and Get Cash in Return | Kevin Zawacki | August 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe "torfuge" (Fig. 31) is said to be a very satisfactory substitute for the centrifuge, and is readily portable.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddLoss, where she was concerned, involved a permanent and irremediable bereavement—no substitute was conceivable.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodIf the auctioneer could afterward do this he might change the name, substitute another, and so perpetrate a fraud.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney BollesIf any one of the parts should be lost or broken, it would require some ability in that country to contrive a substitute.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickWhen sedimentation only is desired, the torfuge (Fig. 31) is a cheap and convenient substitute.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
British Dictionary definitions for substitute
/ (ˈsʌbstɪˌtjuːt) /
(often foll by for) to serve or cause to serve in place of another person or thing
chem to replace (an atom or group in a molecule) with (another atom or group)
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
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
(as modifier): a substitute goalkeeper Often shortened to: sub
grammar another name for pro-form
Canadian another name for supply teacher
nautical another word for repeater (def. 5)
(formerly) a person paid to replace another due for military service
Origin of substitute
1usage For substitute
Derived forms of substitute
- substitutable, adjective
- substitutability, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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