substitute Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another
    replacement.
  2. noun an athlete who plays only when a starter on the team is replaced
    second-stringer; reserve.
  3. noun someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult)
    stand-in; fill-in; relief; backup; reliever; backup man.
    • the star had a stand-in for dangerous scenes
    • we need extra employees for summer fill-ins
  4. verb put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items
    interchange; exchange; replace.
    • the con artist replaced the original with a fake Rembrandt
    • substitute regular milk with fat-free milk
    • synonyms can be interchanged without a changing the context's meaning
  5. verb be a substitute
    fill in; stand in; sub.
    • The young teacher had to substitute for the sick colleague
    • The skim milk substitutes for cream--we are on a strict diet
  6. verb act as a substitute
    step in; deputize; deputise.
    • She stood in for the soprano who suffered from a cold
  7. adjective satellite capable of substituting in any of several positions on a team
    utility.
    • a utility infielder
  8. adjective satellite serving or used in place of another
    alternative; alternate.
    • an alternative plan
  9. adjective satellite artificial and inferior
    ersatz.
    • ersatz coffee
    • substitute coffee

WordNet

Sub"stit"ute noun
Etymology
L. substitutus, p.p. of substituere to put under, put in the place of; sub under + statuere to put, place: cf. F. substitut. See Statute.
Definitions
  1. 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; specifically (Mil.), a person who enlists for military service in the place of a conscript or drafted man. archaic, no longer legal.
    Hast thou not made me here thy substitute? Milton.
    Ladies [in Shakespeare's age] . . . wore masks as the sole substitute known to our ancestors for the modern parasol. De Quincey.
Sub"stit"ute transitive verb
Etymology
See Substitute, n.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Substituted ; present participle & verbal noun Substituting
Definitions
  1. To put in the place of another person or thing; to exchange.
    Some few verses are inserted or substituted in the room of others. Congreve.

Webster 1913