surrogate

[noun, adjective sur-uh-geyt, -git, suhr-; verb sur-uh-geyt, suhr-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR surrogate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person appointed to act for another; deputy.

(in some states) a judicial officer having jurisdiction over the probate of wills, the administration of estates, etc.

the deputy of an ecclesiastical judge, especially of a bishop or a bishop's chancellor.

a substitute.

Politics. someone who acts on behalf of a politician or political candidate by making public appearances, issuing statements, etc., when that person is engaged elsewhere or when that person’s image would be bolstered by certain affiliations: His camp won the “prestige of science” battle by signing on high-profile physicists, chemists, and biologists as campaign surrogates.

adjective

regarded or acting as a surrogate: a surrogate father.

involving or indicating the use of a surrogate mother to conceive or carry an embryo: surrogate parenting.

verb (used with object), sur·ro·gat·ed, sur·ro·gat·ing.

to put into the place of another as a successor, substitute, or deputy; substitute for another.

to subrogate.

Origin of surrogate

1525–35; < Latin surrogātus, assimilated variant of subrogātus; see subrogate

Related formssur·ro·gate·ship, nounsur·ro·ga·tion, noun

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

Related Words for surrogate

proxy, stand-in, refuge, stopgap, delegate, sub, deputy, expediency, alternate, recourse, makeshift, resort, representative, expedient, resource, backup, fill-in, replacement

Examples from the Web for surrogate

Contemporary Examples of surrogate

The political trip to the state will be his sixth this cycle, an unusual pace for any surrogate in a single state.
Bubba Goes Back to the Briar Patch: Bill Clinton’s Arkansas Obsession
Patricia Murphy
October 2, 2014
They were like surrogate parents and a huge influence on my life and my work.
Filming a Beautiful Town in Decay: ‘Rich Hill’ and the Elusive American Dream
Tracy Droz Tragos
July 27, 2014
Mad Men is very big on surrogate parents on the show, and Roger always viewed Bert as a surrogate father figure.
John Slattery on the ‘Mad Men’ Midseason Finale, Roger Sterling’s Power Move, and ‘God’s Pocket’
Marlow Stern
May 26, 2014
Data eclipsed God in 1973, and its continuing ascendance suggests a culture that treats it as a surrogate divinity.
Why Big Data Doesn’t Live up to the Hype
Nick Romeo
January 4, 2014
That brother, Francisco, had served as his surrogate father, and was now in jail in Big Spring, Texas.
On the Hunt for Treviño Morales, Zetas Leader
Alfredo Corchado
August 6, 2013

Historical Examples of surrogate

The clerkship of the Surrogate Court was soon to be filled by election.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete
Albert Bigelow Paine
The mandrake was clearly a surrogate of the shell or vice versa.
The Evolution of the Dragon
G. Elliot Smith
The sow is the surrogate of the beautiful princess of the fairy tale.
The Evolution of the Dragon
G. Elliot Smith
No surrogate could penetrate it and no weapon would operate within it.
The Weakling
Everett B. Cole
Some of his decisions as Surrogate are regarded as precedents to this day.
As I Remember
Marian Gouverneur

British Dictionary definitions for surrogate

surrogate

noun (ˈsʌrəɡɪt)

a person or thing acting as a substitute

mainly British a deputy, such as a clergyman appointed to deputize for a bishop in granting marriage licences

psychiatry a person who is a substitute for someone else, esp in childhood when different persons, such as a brother or teacher, can act as substitutes for the parents

(in some US states) a judge with jurisdiction over the probate of wills, etc

(modifier) of, relating to, or acting as a surrogatea surrogate pleasure

verb (ˈsʌrəˌɡeɪt) (tr)

to put in another's position as a deputy, substitute, etc

to appoint as a successor to oneself

Derived Formssurrogateship, nounsurrogation, noun

Word Origin for surrogate

C17: from Latin surrogāre to substitute; see subrogate

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

Word Origin and History for surrogate

early 15c., from Latin surrogatus, past participle of surrogare "put in another's place, substitute," from sub "in the place of, under" + rogare "to ask, propose" (see rogation). Meaning "woman pregnant with the fertilized egg of another woman" is attested from 1978 (from 1972 of animals; surrogate mother in a psychological sense is from 1971).

surrogate in Medicine

surrogate

[sûr′ə-gĭt, -gāt′]

n.

One that takes the place of another; a substitute.

A person or an animal that functions as a substitute for another, as in a social or family role.

A figure of authority who takes the place of the father or mother in a person's unconscious or emotional life.

A surrogate mother.