SUBSTITUTE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does substitute mean? 

• SUBSTITUTE (noun)
  The noun SUBSTITUTE has 3 senses:

1. a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another

2. an athlete who plays only when a starter on the team is replaced

3. someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult)

  Familiarity information: SUBSTITUTE used as a noun is uncommon.

• SUBSTITUTE (adjective)
  The adjective SUBSTITUTE has 3 senses:

1. capable of substituting in any of several positions on a team

2. serving or used in place of another

3. artificial and inferior

  Familiarity information: SUBSTITUTE used as an adjective is uncommon.

• SUBSTITUTE (verb)
  The verb SUBSTITUTE has 3 senses:

1. put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items

2. be a substitute

3. act as a substitute

  Familiarity information: SUBSTITUTE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SUBSTITUTE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A person or thing that takes or can take the place of another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

replacement; substitute

Hypernyms ("substitute" is a kind of...):

equivalent (a person or thing equal to another in value or measure or force or effect or significance etc)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "substitute"):

ersatz (an artificial or inferior substitute or imitation)

successor (a thing or person that immediately replaces something or someone)

succedaneum ((medicine) something that can be used as a substitute (especially any medicine that may be taken in place of another))

Derivation:

substitute (be a substitute)

substitute (serving or used in place of another)

substitute (put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An athlete who plays only when a starter on the team is replaced

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

reserve; second-stringer; substitute

Hypernyms ("substitute" is a kind of...):

athlete; jock (a person trained to compete in sports)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "substitute"):

bench warmer ((sports) a substitute who seldom plays)

pinch hitter ((baseball) a substitute for the regular batter)

Holonyms ("substitute" is a member of...):

bench (the reserve players on a team)

Derivation:

substitute (be a substitute)

substitute (act as a substitute)

substitute (capable of substituting in any of several positions on a team)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

backup; backup man; fill-in; relief; reliever; stand-in; substitute

Context example:

we need extra employees for summer fill-ins

Hypernyms ("substitute" is a kind of...):

compeer; equal; match; peer (a person who is of equal standing with another in a group)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "substitute"):

locum; locum tenens (someone (physician or clergyman) who substitutes temporarily for another member of the same profession)

double; stunt man; stunt woman (a stand-in for movie stars to perform dangerous stunts)

alternate; replacement; surrogate (someone who takes the place of another person)

Derivation:

substitute (be a substitute)

substitute (act as a substitute)

substitute (serving or used in place of another)

• SUBSTITUTE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Capable of substituting in any of several positions on a team

Synonyms:

substitute; utility

Context example:

a utility infielder

Similar:

secondary (being of second rank or importance or value; not direct or immediate)

Derivation:

substitute (an athlete who plays only when a starter on the team is replaced)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Serving or used in place of another

Synonyms:

alternate; alternative; substitute

Context example:

an alternative plan

Similar:

secondary (being of second rank or importance or value; not direct or immediate)

Derivation:

substitute (a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another)

substitute (someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Artificial and inferior

Synonyms:

ersatz; substitute

Context example:

substitute coffee

Similar:

artificial; unreal (contrived by art rather than nature)

• SUBSTITUTE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they substitute    ... he / she / it substitutes   
Past simple: substituted   
Past participle: substituted   
-ing form: substituting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

exchange; interchange; replace; substitute

Context example:

synonyms can be interchanged without a changing the context's meaning

Hypernyms (to "substitute" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "substitute"):

shift (move and exchange for another)

reduce (simplify the form of a mathematical equation of expression by substituting one term for another)

truncate (replace a corner by a plane)

retool (provide (a workshop or factory) with new tools)

subrogate (substitute one creditor for another, as in the case where an insurance company sues the person who caused an accident for the insured)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP
Somebody ----s something with something

Derivation:

substitution (an event in which one thing is substituted for another)

substitution (the act of putting one thing or person in the place of another:)

substitute (a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be a substitute

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

fill in; stand in; sub; substitute

Context example:

The skim milk substitutes for cream--we are on a strict diet

Hypernyms (to "substitute" is one way to...):

change; exchange; interchange (give to, and receive from, one another)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

substitute (a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another)

substitute (someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult))

substitute (an athlete who plays only when a starter on the team is replaced)

substituting (working as a substitute for someone who is ill or on leave of absence)

substitution (an event in which one thing is substituted for another)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Act as a substitute

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

deputise; deputize; step in; substitute

Context example:

She stood in for the soprano who suffered from a cold

Hypernyms (to "substitute" is one way to...):

replace; supersede; supervene upon; supplant (take the place or move into the position of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "substitute"):

cover (help out by taking someone's place and temporarily assuming his responsibilities)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

substitute (someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult))

substitute (an athlete who plays only when a starter on the team is replaced)

substituting (working as a substitute for someone who is ill or on leave of absence)

 Context examples 

A substituted piperidinyl benzamide prokinetic agent.

(Cisapride, NCI Thesaurus)

A substituted benzoylphenylurea and an analogue of the pesticide diflubenzuron with potential antineoplastic activity.

(Clanfenur, NCI Thesaurus)

A cancer causing cyclic compound in which one or more hydrogen atoms attached to the cyclic carbon atoms are substituted for chloride atoms.

(Chlorinated Ring Carcinogen, NCI Thesaurus)

A synthetic lysyl prodrug of the amino-substituted flavone derivate aminoflavone with antiproliferative and antineoplastic activities.

(AFP464, NCI Thesaurus)

However, women who substituted water for sweetened beverages reduced their children’s obesity risk at age 7 by 17 percent.

(Drinking diet beverages during pregnancy linked to child obesity, NIH)

This protein can substitute for histone H2A in the nucleosomal complex and plays a role in transcriptional repression and X chromosome inactivation.

(Core Histone Macro-H2A, NCI Thesaurus)

The act of offering an improvement to replace a mistake; setting right; something substituted for an error.

(Correction, NCI Thesaurus)

I was at my wit’s end, for I was sure that Jim would never come unless a substitute were provided for him.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

An orally bioavailable, substituted benzimidazole inhibitor of the class I phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) beta isoform with potential antineoplastic activity.

(PI3K-beta Inhibitor GSK2636771, NCI Thesaurus)

The N-substituted benzamide metoclopramide, a potential radiosensitizer, which inhibits DNA repair and induces apoptosis.

(Neu-Sensamide, NCI Thesaurus)