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 indifference only strayed into anger when some Wales fans booed forward Brennan Johnson when he came on as a second-half substitute.

From BBC

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

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

The industry’s real opportunity is in Asia, where it hopes LNG can be a substitute for coal.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

Related Words

• backup
• replacement
• stand-in
• surrogate