surrogate

[sur-uh-geyt, -git, suhr-, sur-uh-geyt, suhr-]

noun

1. a person appointed to act for another; deputy.

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

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

4. a substitute.

5. a surrogate mother.

6. 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

1. regarded or acting as a surrogate.

   a surrogate father.

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

   surrogate parenting.

verb (used with object)

surrogated, surrogating 

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

2. to subrogate.

surrogate

noun

1. a person or thing acting as a substitute

2. a deputy, such as a clergyman appointed to deputize for a bishop in granting marriage licences

3. 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

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

5. (modifier) of, relating to, or acting as a surrogate

   a surrogate pleasure

verb

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

2. to appoint as a successor to oneself

Other Word Forms

• surrogateship noun
• surrogation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of surrogate¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin surrogātus, variant of subrogātus “nominated as a substitiute”; subrogate

Word History and Origins

Origin of surrogate¹

C17: from Latin surrogāre to substitute; see _subrogate

Example Sentences

Don, who speaks very little, is essentially an audience surrogate giving Teddy a reason to relate his theories out loud.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Because Gallozzi has advanced breast cancer, the couple sought out a surrogate who could carry their baby.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But his top surrogates in the Republican Party were in more fighting form, with House Speaker Mike Johnson calling the day of protest the "Hate America rally."

Read more on Barron's

He also praised his fellow nominees and dedicated the award to his mentor and "surrogate" mother, Annie Orwin, who died last year.

Read more on BBC

Taking to the stage, Fender dedicated the award to his late mentor, Annie Orwin, who he previously described as "a surrogate mother in a lot of ways".

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Related Words

• proxy 
• stand-in