surrogate

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

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

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.

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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. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for surrogate

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
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|DAILY BEAST
He signed wearily and shifted his viewpoint to a surrogate which overlooked the village itself.
The Weakling|Everett B. Cole
Surrogate mothers are selected and contracted based on expectations of behavior and heredity.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin
The elders talk law: it is the surrogate's office and the orphans' court and published notices.
Floyd Grandon's Honor|Amanda Minnie Douglas
The will was offered for probate, and we all went to Philadelphia to attend the Surrogate Court.
Seek and Find|Oliver Optic
If his sense of form, his flair for fatalism, still persisted, ease was out of the question and no surrogate could serve.
On the Stairs|Henry B. Fuller

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′ ]

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.

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