26984 words

substitute

14 definitions • 26 examples
1
to use something or someone instead of another thing or person:

Examples:

substitute something for something You can substitute oil for butter (= use oil instead of butter) in this recipe.
substitute something with something You can substitute the wheat flour with almond flour (= use almond flour instead of wheat flour).
be substituted for He made his film debut when he was substituted for the actor who was originally cast.
I took out the words "he" and "his" and substituted them with "they" and "their".
2
to perform the same job as another thing or person or to take their place:

Examples:

Gas-fired power stations will substitute for less efficient coal-fired equipment.
3
in sports, to use a player for part of a game after removing another player from the game:

Examples:

Ronaldo was substituted early in the second half.
Dayton was substituted for Williams in the second half of the game.
I don't know why the coach substituted me.
4
a thing or person that is used instead of another thing or person:

Examples:

Tofu can be used as a meat substitute in vegetarian recipes.
substitute for Vitamins should not be used as a substitute for a healthy diet.
5
in sports, a player who is used for part of a game instead of another player:

Examples:

come on as a substitute Johnson came on as a substitute towards the end of the game.
bring on a substitute The manager brought on another substitute in the final minutes of the game.
6
nothing is as good as the stated thing:

Examples:

You can read about other countries, but there's no substitute for visiting them yourself.
7
a
8
to use someone or something instead of another person or thing:

Examples:

[ T ] You can substitute oil for butter in this recipe.
[ I ] He was called on to substitute for the ailing star last night.
9
to use something different or new instead of another thing:

Examples:

substitute sth for sth Industry must reduce fuel consumption by substituting alternative fuels for fossil fuels.
substitute sth with sth It takes time to substitute local brands with your own brand names.
10
to take the place of another person or do their job for a period of time:

Examples:

She was asked to substitute for the absent committee chairman.
11
to do the same job as another thing or take its place:

Examples:

The government expects natural gas to substitute for oil exports in the future.
Many dot.com companies have learnt that technology can never substitute for customer service.
12
something different or new that is used instead of another thing:

Examples:

(as) a substitute for sth We are looking at the possibility of using foreign production as a substitute for exports to foreign markets.
cheap/good/poor substitutes Cheaper substitutes displaced the product from the world market.
egg/fat/meat substitutes
Early warning of a layoff is no substitute for a job.
13
someone who takes the place of another person or does their job for a period of time:

Examples:

a substitute for sb Fixed-term contract workers and agency workers are not always direct substitutes for one another.
14
nothing else is as good as the stated thing or action:

Examples:

In this industry, there's no substitute for experience.

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