substitute

[ suhb-sti-toot, -tyoot ]

/ ˈsʌb stɪˌtut, -ˌtyut /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR substitute ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

verb (used with object), sub·sti·tut·ed, sub·sti·tut·ing.

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.

verb (used without object), sub·sti·tut·ed, sub·sti·tut·ing.

to act as a substitute.

adjective

of or relating to a substitute or substitutes.

composed of substitutes.

Nearby words

substantive right, substantivize, substation, substernal goiter, substituent, substitute, substitution, substitution cipher, substitution product, substitution reaction, substitution therapy

Origin of substitute

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin substitūtus (past participle of substituere to put in place of), equivalent to sub- sub- + -stitū-, combining form of statū-, past participle stem of statuere (see substituent) + -tus past participle suffix

SYNONYMS FOR substitute

1 alternative, replacement, equivalent.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR substitute ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

sub·sti·tut·a·ble, adjectivesub·sti·tut·a·bil·i·ty, nounsub·sti·tut·er, nounsub·sti·tut·ing·ly, adverb

sub·sti·tu·tion, nounsub·sti·tu·tion·al, sub·sti·tu·tion·ar·y

[suhb-sti-too-shuh-ner-ee, -tyoo-] /ˌsʌb stɪˈtu ʃəˌnɛr i, -ˈtyu-/, adjectivesub·sti·tu·tion·al·ly, adverbin·ter·sub·sti·tut·a·bil·i·ty, nounin·ter·sub·sti·tut·a·ble, adjectivein·ter·sub·sti·tu·tion, nounnon·sub·sti·tut·ed, adjectivenon·sub·sti·tu·tion, nounnon·sub·sti·tu·tion·al, adjectivenon·sub·sti·tu·tion·al·ly, adverbnon·sub·sti·tu·tion·ar·y, adjectivepre·sub·sti·tute, verb (used with object), pre·sub·sti·tut·ed, pre·sub·sti·tut·ing.pre·sub·sti·tu·tion, nounpro·sub·sti·tu·tion, adjectiveun·sub·sti·tut·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for substitution

No prize transfer, assignment, or substitution by Winner is permitted.
The Orbitz Business Travel Survey Sweepstakes||December 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The substitution of an effect for a cause is an old technique and trick of classical sophistry.
Demonization Is No Excuse|Hussein Ibish|November 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Prize is nontransferable and no substitution of the Prize by the Grand Prize Winner is allowed.
OFFICIAL RULES OF THE IMAX® Award Contest—Deadline Extended||October 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Yet here is the great problem with Murray's substitution of imagery for numbers in his social thought.
What the Founders Would Tell Charles Murray|David Frum|February 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST

If the older form were Gaelic, the substitution, or translation, would have been superfluous.
A Handbook of the English Language|Robert Gordon Latham
He encouraged the substitution, that was inaugurated by Killigrew, of women for boys in female parts.
A Life of William Shakespeare|Sidney Lee
There was one weighty reason for the overthrow of the gentes and the substitution of a new plan of government.
Ancient Society|Lewis Henry Morgan
The size and weight of books was also reduced by the substitution of pasteboards for wooden sides.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 2|Various
Besides, any substitution of self for self would be useless, for there is no more self there.
The Flaw in the Crystal|May Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for substitution (1 of 2)

substitution

/ (ˌsʌbstɪˈtjuːʃən) /

noun

the act of substituting or state of being substituted

something or someone substituted

maths the replacement of a term of an equation by another that is known to have the same value in order to simplify the equation

maths logic

the uniform replacement of one expression by another
substitution instance an expression so derived from another

British Dictionary definitions for substitution (2 of 2)

substitute

/ (ˈsʌbstɪˌtjuːt) /

verb

(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

noun

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

Derived Forms

substitutable, adjectivesubstitutability, noun

Word Origin for substitute

C16: from Latin substituere, from sub- in place of + statuere to set up

usage

Substitute is sometimes wrongly used where replace is meant: he replaced (not substituted) the worn tyre with a new one

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

Medicine definitions for substitution

substitution

[ sŭb′stĭ-tōō′shən ]

n.

The replacement of an atom or group of atoms in a compound by another atom or group of atoms.

An unconscious defense mechanism by which the unacceptable or unattainable is replaced by something more acceptable or attainable.