surrogate

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

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

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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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for surrogate

She considered serving as a surrogate after learning that the daughter of a co-worker struggled to become pregnant.
A third-grade teacher in Minnesota donated a kidney to her school’s custodian|Kyle Melnick|December 2, 2020|Washington Post
Body temperature serves as a sort of surrogate for basal metabolic rate, or the number of calories required to keep the body working while at rest.
Bolivia’s Tsimane people’s average body temperature fell half a degree in 16 years|Sujata Gupta|November 13, 2020|Science News
I know they are willing, but they need to hear from the President and his best surrogates.
The Trailer: Partisan realities clash, again, this time on the vote count|David Weigel|November 5, 2020|Washington Post
He took me on Soul Train and soon I became like a surrogate son to him.
Soul Brother No. 1 James Brown Endorses Richard Nixon? Believe It|Eugene Robinson|October 19, 2020|Ozy

He took me on Soul Train, and soon I became like a surrogate son to him.
How James Brown Became a Father Figure to Al Sharpton|Joshua Eferighe|October 8, 2020|Ozy

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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