Definition Definition

substitute - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'substitute' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Substitute [ n.]
- 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
- a person who enlists for military service in the place of a conscript or drafted man.
- To put in the place of another person or thing; to exchange.

Meaning of 'substitute' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . substitute [ n]
Meaning (1):
- someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult)
Example in sentence:
  • the star had a stand-in for dangerous scenes;
  • we need extra employees for summer fill-ins
2 . substitute [ v]
Meaning (2):
- act as a substitute
Example in sentence:
  • She stood in for the soprano who suffered from a cold
Meaning (3):
- put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items
Example in sentence:
  • substitute regular milk for fat-free milk;
  • synonyms can be interchanged without a changing the context's meaning;
  • the con artist replaced the original with a fake Rembrandt
Meaning (4):
- be a substitute
Example in sentence:
  • The skim milk substitutes for cream--we are on a strict diet;
  • The young teacher had to substitute for the sick colleague
5 . substitute [ s]
Meaning (5):
- capable of substituting in any of several positions on a team
Example in sentence:
  • a utility infielder
Meaning (6):
- serving or used in place of another
Example in sentence:
  • an alternative plan
Meaning (7):
- artificial and inferior
Example in sentence:
  • ersatz coffee;
  • substitute coffee