substitute

== English == === Etymology === 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”). === Pronunciation === (yod-coalescence) IPA(key): /ˈsʌb.stɪ.tʃuːt/ (non-yod-coalescence) IPA(key): /ˈsʌb.stɪ.tjuːt/ (yod-dropping) IPA(key): /ˈsʌb.stɪ.tut/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /ˈsɐbstɪtjʉːt/, /ˈsɐbstɪt͡ʃʉːt/ (New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈsɐbstətjʉːt/, /ˈsɐbstət͡ʃʉːt/ Hyphenation: sub‧sti‧tute Rhymes: -uːt === Verb === substitute (third-person singular simple present substitutes, present participle substituting, simple past and past participle substituted) (transitive) To use in place of something else, with the same function. (transitive, in the phrase "substitute X for Y") To use X in place of Y. (transitive, formerly proscribed, often in the phrase "substitute X with/by Y", sometimes "substitute X for Y") To use Y in place of X; to replace X with Y. 2026 January 21, Ally Beardlsey, my boss is sabotaging my clown career (w/ Ally Beardsley), Perfect Person (podcast) episode 185 (c. 14:18): You know when you first have a baby, and you're like "I'm gonna die 'cause I've never slept"? [...] and you get [an] hour and a half in the middle of the night that you get to sleep. Your partner's like, "I'll take care of this." [...] I used that hour and a half, instead of sleeping, to watch The Pitt. [...] The most panic inducing show. [...] I was just like I was like, "Why do I feel like vomiting 24/7? Oh, I substituted sleep for watching The Pitt." (transitive, sports) To remove (a player) from the field of play and bring on another in his place. (intransitive) To serve as a replacement (for someone or something). ==== Usage notes ==== The verb to substitute can be used transitively in two opposite ways. To substitute X may mean either use X in place of something else (as in definitions 1 and 2), or use something else in place of X (as in definitions 3 and 4). The latter use is more recent, but it is widespread and now generally accepted (see the COED's note on the matter). Especially when the indirect object (the something else) is omitted, and the preposition is also omitted, and the reader or hearer cannot tell which sense is meant: "Substitute butter for olive oil" = Use butter instead of olive oil "Substitute butter with olive oil" = Use olive oil instead of butter "Substitute butter" = ??? Even when the indirect object object and the preposition are included, there are uses of "substitute X for Y" in both senses. ==== Synonyms ==== (to replace X with Y): exchange, swap; See also Thesaurus:switch ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Noun === substitute (plural substitutes) A replacement or stand-in for something that achieves a similar result or purpose. Synonyms: substituend, surrogate; see also Thesaurus:substitute Antonyms: substituend, substituendum A substitute teacher. (sports) A player who is available to replace another if the need arises, and who may or may not actually do so. Synonym: reserve (historical) One who enlists for military service in the place of a conscript. (economics) Abbreviation of substitute good. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Anagrams === bustitutes == Latin == === Participle === substitūte vocative masculine singular of substitūtus