substituteverb
uk/ˈsʌb.stɪ.tʃuːt/us/ˈsʌb.stə.tuːt/B2 [ T ] to use something or someone instead of another thing or person:
You can substitute oil for butter in this recipe.
Dayton was substituted for Williams in the second half of the game.
substitute for sth
to perform the same job as another thing or to take its place:
Gas-fired power stations will substitute for less efficient coal-fired equipment.
More examples
- I use that recipe but substitute wheat-free flour for regular flour.
- I took out the words 'he' and 'his' and substituted them with 'they' and 'their'.
- You can always substitute tofu for meat, if you like.
- Computers can't substitute for human interaction.
- Of course, no book or course of study can substitute for experience.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Replacing and exchanging
- alternate
- alternatively
- bargain sth away
- change over
- change places idiom
- fill
- name
- part exchange
- pinch-hit
- pre-empt
- proxy
- rep
- represent
- reserve
- sit
- substitution
- succeed
- succession
- supersede
- supplant
See more results »
substitutenoun [ C ]
uk/ˈsʌb.stɪ.tʃuːt/us/ˈsʌb.stə.tuːt/B2 a thing or person that is used instead of another thing or person:
Tofu can be used as a meat substitute in vegetarian recipes.
Vitamins should not be used as a substitute for a healthy diet.
informal sub in sports, a player who is used for part of a game instead of another player:
Johnson came on as a substitute towards the end of the game.
The manager brought on another substitute in the final minutes of the game.
there is no substitute for sth
nothing is as good as the stated thing:
You can read about other countries, but there's no substitute for visiting them yourself.
US informal sub a substitute teacher
More examples
- I'm allowed to eat ersatz chocolate made from carob beans, but it's a poor substitute for the real thing.
- Lime zest can be used as a substitute for lime leaves.
- Email is all well and good but it's a poor substitute for a hand-written letter.
- This is not intended as a substitute for a lawyer's advice.
- There is no substitute for proper training.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Replacing and exchanging
- alternate
- alternatively
- bargain sth away
- change over
- change places idiom
- fill
- name
- part exchange
- pinch-hit
- pre-empt
- proxy
- rep
- represent
- reserve
- sit
- substitution
- succeed
- succession
- supersede
- supplant
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Competitors & participants in sports & games
Teachers