Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One that takes the place of another; a replacement.
- noun Grammar A word or construction used in place of another word, phrase, or clause.
- intransitive verb To put or use (a person or thing) in place of another.
- intransitive verb Chemistry To replace (one or more atoms or groups in a compound) by other atoms or groups.
- intransitive verb To take the place of another.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Put in the place or performing the functions of another; substituted.
- noun A person put in the place of another; one acting for or in the room of another; theatrical, an understudy; specifically (military), one who for a consideration serves in an army or navy in the place of a conscript; also, a thing serving the purpose of another.
- noun In calico-printing, a solution of phosphate of soda and phosphate of lime with a little glue or other form of gelatin, used as a substitute for cow-dung.
- noun Synonyms Proxy, alternate.
- To put in the place of another; put in exchange.
- To appoint; invest with delegated authority.
- In chem., to replace (an atom or group) in the molecule of a compound by another atom or group. See
substituent .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Mil.) One who, or that which, is substituted or put in the place of another; one who acts for another; that which stands in lieu of something else.
- transitive verb To put in the place of another person or thing; to exchange.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- 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.
- verb transitive In the phrase "substitute X with/by Y", to use Y in place of X.
- 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) - 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.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective capable of substituting in any of several positions on a team
- adjective serving or used in place of another
- 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)
- verb put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items
- adjective artificial and inferior
- verb act as a substitute
- verb be a substitute
- noun an athlete who plays only when a starter on the team is replaced
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word substitute.
Examples
-
It may be admitted at once that when the term substitute is interpreted without reference to this basis of fact it lends itself very easily to misconstruction.
The Atonement and the Modern Mind James Denney 1886
-
He would feel the want of you without having the satisfaction of fancying himself ill-used, and ---- for your substitute is altogether as good a Nemesis as one would wish to hear of.
Selections from the Letters of Geraldine Endsor Jewsbury to Jane Welsh Carlyle 1892
-
On what we call substitute a reputation for decent treatment of minority shareholders so that firms can raise equity finance in the future.
BNET Articles 2010
-
On what we call substitute a reputation for decent treatment of minority shareholders so that firms can raise equity finance in the future.
BNET Articles 2009
-
Many years ago, while teaching middle school Language Arts as a long-term substitute in a school located in a Brooklyn neighborhood in which many John Jay school students live, I stumbled upon a trick -- a quick, one-question diagnostic test for Language Arts proficiency: a Math problem.
Michele Somerville: Fast One at 'Apartheid High' Michele Somerville 2011
-
The lazy substitute is to hire an arbitrary number of members of fashionable “underrepresented” groups, without being too particular about qualifications, then stop.
Stromata Blog: 2009
-
Sandra González, a high-school English teacher, said the cuts, which will eliminate most long-term substitute teachers while raising the number of hours teachers must spend in the classroom weekly to 20 from 18, have brought her to the breaking point.
Spain Approves Tax on Its Wealthiest Jonathan House 2011
-
The lazy substitute is to hire an arbitrary number of members of fashionable “underrepresented” groups, without being too particular about qualifications, then stop.
-
Of course, should the elected individual become incapable of fulfilling their Term for any reason, a temporary substitute is assigned per the procedures adopted by the people.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Why Recalls of U.S. Senators Are Unconstitutional 2010
-
Many years ago, while teaching middle school Language Arts as a long-term substitute in a school located in a Brooklyn neighborhood in which many John Jay school students live, I stumbled upon a trick -- a quick, one-question diagnostic test for Language Arts proficiency: a Math problem.
Michele Somerville: Fast One at 'Apartheid High' Michele Somerville 2011
bilby commented on the word substitute
Hmmm.
June 28, 2008
reesetee commented on the word substitute
I...
*speechless*
June 28, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word substitute
*Seedless*
June 28, 2008
ruzuzu commented on the word substitute
Bilby's link doesn't seem to be working. Instead I offer you meaning 5 from the Century Dictionary:
"In calico-printing, a solution of phosphate of soda and phosphate of lime with a little glue or other form of gelatin, used as a substitute for cow-dung."
February 15, 2011
Prolagus commented on the word substitute
Ha!
By the way, here's bilby's link.
February 15, 2011
bilby commented on the word substitute
Thank you Pro.
February 16, 2011