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Added 9 October 2026

substitute

/ˈsʌb.stɪ.tʃuːt/ verb

In Latin: substituō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about substitute at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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.

noun

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.

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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