substitute.
To use in place of something else, with the same function.
Meaning & usage
To use in place of something else, with the same function.
I had no shallots so I substituted onion.
To use X in place of Y.
I had to substitute new parts for the old ones.
To use Y in place of X; to replace X with Y.
I had to substitute old parts with the new ones.
To remove (a player) from the field of play and bring on another in his place.
He was playing poorly and was substituted after twenty minutes
To serve as a replacement (for someone or something).
Where this word comes from
From Middle English substituten, from Latin substitutus, past participle of substituō, from sub- (“under; beneath”) + statuō (“to put up; establish”). Displaced native Old English spala (“a substitute”) and spelian (“to substitute”).
A replacement or stand-in for something that achieves a similar result or purpose.
A substitute teacher.
A player who is available to replace another if the need arises, and who may or may not actually do so.
One who enlists for military service in the place of a conscript.
Abbreviation of substitute good.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English substituten, from Latin substitutus, past participle of substituō, from sub- (“under; beneath”) + statuō (“to put up; establish”). Displaced native Old English spala (“a substitute”) and spelian (“to substitute”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.