surrogate

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

/ noun, adjective ˈsɜr əˌgeɪt, -gɪt, ˈsʌr-; verb ˈsɜr əˌgeɪt, ˈsʌr- /

Save This Word!

See 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.

a surrogate mother.

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.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of surrogate

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

OTHER WORDS FROM surrogate

sur·ro·gate·ship, nounsur·ro·ga·tion, noun

Words nearby surrogate

surrender value, surreptitious, surreptitiously, surrey, surrogacy, surrogate, surrogate mother, surround, surrounding, surroundings, surround sound

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use surrogate in a sentence

Cooper, 53, host of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” named the baby, born via a surrogate, after his father, Wyatt, who died when Cooper was 10 days old.
Pop culture countdown: Iconic and ignominious|Joey DiGuglielmo|December 30, 2020|Washington Blade
She was a popular surrogate for the senator that year, went on to lead his political organization Our Revolution and co-chaired his 2020 presidential campaign.
The Trailer: Why the GOP is talking about China, from Georgia to the courtroom|David Weigel|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
More likely is an infiltration of Belarusian institutions by his security services or their surrogates in an effort to exert indirect control and ensure that Minsk policies and pronouncements channel through the Kremlin.
Poison, Protest and the Power of Putin|Tracy Moran|September 4, 2020|Ozy
Yet few of us get to feel that presence, that sense of otherworldly connection to a robot that is in all ways a surrogate for having our own feet on the Martian regolith.
Take Our Virtual Trip to Mars - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Caleb Scharf|September 2, 2020|Nautilus

Furthermore, surrogate sires would enable ranchers to introduce desired traits without having to wrangle their herd into one place for artificial insemination, says Oatley.
Biotechnology Could Change the Cattle Industry. Will It Succeed?|Dyllan Furness|August 16, 2020|Singularity Hub
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
George Lucas welcomes a daughter with wife Mellody Hobson via surrogate.
‘Breaking Bad’ Breaks Records, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry Release New Songs|Culture Team|August 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He needs her to witness for his clients, and Momsy says the hearing before the Surrogate cannot be postponed again.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
Some of the heirs and next of kin appealed to the Circuit Judge, who confirmed the decree of the Surrogate.
The Curiosities and Law of Wills|John Proffatt
The Surrogate, when the case came before him, decided to admit the will to probate, and made a decree accordingly.
The Curiosities and Law of Wills|John Proffatt
Van Buren became surrogate of Columbia county on February 20, 1808.
Martin Van Buren|Edward M. Shepard
He as appointed by Pauline Quenu's family council to be her "surrogate guardian."
A Zola Dictionary|J. G. Patterson

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 forms of surrogate

surrogateship, 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

Medical definitions for surrogate

surrogate

[ sûr′ə-gĭt, -gāt′ ]

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.

surrogate

Origin of surrogate

OTHER WORDS FROM surrogate

Words nearby surrogate

Words related to surrogate

How to use surrogate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for surrogate

Derived forms of surrogate

Word Origin for surrogate

Medical definitions for surrogate