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

Odegaard missed Arsenal's next three games before returning as a late substitute against Newcastle on 28 September and then playing the full match against Olympiacos in the Champions League on Wednesday.

From BBC

He missed three games but returned as a substitute in the dramatic 2-1 win over Newcastle on Sunday, where his passing and attacking drive was a factor in his side's comeback.

From BBC

Alexander Isak, a substitute in Turkey, is still way short of full match fitness following his drawn-out and acrimonious British record £125m move from Newcastle United.

From BBC

The 34-year-old midfielder was omitted from the squad for matches against Kazakhstan and Canada earlier this month, having made only one substitute appearance in six months as he recovered from injury.

From BBC

He started their recent World Cup qualifier defeat by Bolivia - but was a substitute against Chile.

From BBC

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.