substitute in English dictionary

  • substitute

    Meanings and definitions of "substitute"

    • A replacement or stand-in for something that achieves a similar result or purpose.
    • (sports) A player who is available to replace another if the need arises, and who may or may not actually do so.
    • (transitive) To use in place of something else, with the same function.
    • (transitive) In the phrase "substitute X for Y", to use X in place of Y.
    • (transitive) In the phrase "substitute Y with/by X", to use X in place of Y.
    • (transitive, sports) To remove (a player) from the field of play and bring on another in his place.
    • (intransitive) To serve as a replacement (for someone or something)
    • noun
      A replacement or stand-in for something that achieves a similar result or purpose.
    • noun
      (sports)
      A player who is available to replace another if the need arises, and who may or may not actually do so.
    • noun
      (historical)
      One who enlists for military service in the place of a conscript.
    • verb
      (transitive)
      To use in place of something else, with the same function.
    • verb
      (transitive)
      In the phrase "substitute X for Y", to use X in place of Y. With increasing frequency used in the semantically opposite sense (see the OED's notes).
    • verb
      (transitive)
      In the phrase "substitute X with/by Y", to use Y in place of X; to replace X with Y
    • verb
      (transitive, sports)
      To remove (a player) from the field of play and bring on another in his place.
    • verb
      (intransitive)
      To serve as a replacement (for someone or something)
    • An item that can take the place of another item.
    • sidestep (an issue)
    • Someone appointed as the substitute of another, and empowered to act for him, in his name or on his behalf.
    • acting (principal, etc.)
    • sacrifice (of, to)
    • adjective
      artificial and inferior; "ersatz coffee"; "substitute coffee"
    • adjective
      serving or used in place of another; "an alternative plan"
    • noun
      an athlete who plays only when a starter on the team is replaced
    • noun
      a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another
    • noun
      someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult); "the star had a stand-in for dangerous scenes"; "we need extra employees for summer fill-ins"
    • verb
      act as a substitute; "She stood in for the soprano who suffered from a cold"
    • verb
      be a substitute; "The young teacher had to substitute for the sick colleague"; "The skim milk substitutes for cream--we are on a strict diet"
    • verb
      put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items; "the con artist replaced the original with a fake Rembrandt"; "substitute regular milk for fat-free milk"; "synonyms can be interchanged without a changing the context's meaning"

    Synonyms of "substitute" in English dictionary

    deputise, backup man, supersede are the top synonyms of "substitute" in the English thesaurus.

    Grammar and declension of substitute

    • substitute ( plural  substitutes)
    • substitute ( third-person singular simple present substitutes, present participle substituting, simple past and past participle substituted)
    • substitute (plural substitutes)
    • substitute (third-person singular simple present substitutes, present participle substituting, simple past and past participle substituted)
  • Substitute

Sample sentences with "substitute"