substitute adj

1 being a replacement or substitute for a regular member of a team [syn: second-string, substitute(a)]

2 capable of substituting in any of several positions on a team; "a utility infielder" [syn: utility(a), substitute(a)]

3 artificial and inferior; "ersatz coffee"; "substitute coffee" [syn: ersatz]

1 a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another [syn: replacement]

2 an athlete who plays only when another member of the team drops out [syn: reserve]

3 someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult); "the star had a stand-in for dangerous scenes"; "we need extra employees for summer fill-ins" [syn: stand-in, relief, reliever, backup, backup man, fill-in]

1 put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items; "the con artist replaced the original with a fake Rembrandt"; "substitute regular milk with fat-free milk" [syn: replace]

2 be a substitute; "The young teacher had to substitute for the sick colleague"; "The skim milk substitutes for cream--we are on a strict diet" [syn: sub, stand in, fill in]

3 act as a substitute; "She stood in for the soprano who suffered from a cold" [syn: deputize, deputise, step in]

English

Etymology

• From substitutum, past participle of substituo.

Pronunciation

Verb

1. To use in place of something else, with the same function.

   I had no shallots so I substituted onion.

2. In the context of "transitive": In the phrase "substitute X for Y", to use X in place of Y.

   I had to substitute new parts for the old ones.

3. In the context of "transitive": In the phrase "substitute X with/by Y", to use Y in place of X.

   I had to substitute old parts with the new ones.

4. In the context of "transitive|sports": To remove (a player) from the field of play and bring on another in his place.

   He was playing poorly and was substituted after twenty minutes

5. To serve as a replacement (for someone or something)
   • 1987, James Tobin, Essays in Economics, Vol. 2, p. 75

     Accumulation of wealth by this route may substitute for personal saving.

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 has been considered incorrect by some, but it is widespread and now generally accepted (see COED note).

Translations

• Arabic:
• Chinese: 代替 (dàitì)
• Czech: nahradit
• Dutch: vervangen, substitueren
• Finnish: korvata
• French: mettre en place de, remplacer, substituer
• German: ersetzen
• Hungarian: pótolni
• Italian: sostituire
• Japanese: 替える(v.tr), 代える(v.tr), 替わる(v.intr), 替わる(v.intr), 代用する ()
• Korean: 대용하다 (daeyonghada)
• Polish: podstawiać
• Portuguese: substituir
• Russian: заменять (zamenját’)
• Spanish:
• Swedish: ersätta

Noun

1. A replacement or stand-in for something that achieves a similar result or purpose.
2. In the context of "sports": A player who is available to replace another if the need arises, and who may or may not actually do so.

Translations

• Croatian: supstitut, zamjena
• Czech: náhrada
• Finnish: sijainen, korvike
• French: remplaçant
• Hungarian: helyettes, pótlék
• Portuguese: substituto
• Spanish: substituto
• Swedish: substitut
• Telugu: ప్రత్యామ్నాయం (pratyaamnaayam)

Substitute may mean:

In sport:

A person who replaces an exiting competitor during the course of a game, as permitted by the laws of the game. Such replacements are generally made for tactical reasons, or when a player becomes tired or injured.

Examples include:

• Football (soccer) - see Substitute (football)
• Cricket - see Substitute (cricket)
• Interchange (Australian rules football), in Australian Rules Football

Other uses:

• A substitute teacher, a temporary replacement that takes over in a teacher's absence.
• Substitute character, the hexadecimal code number 0x1A in the ASCII character set.
• Substitution property of equality, an operation used in mathematics.
• Substitute good, a classification of goods or services in economic theory.
• "Substitute" (song), a 1966 song by The Who appearing on the album Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
• Substitution (law), a legal right to change a judge that may be biased.
• Substitute flag, part of the international maritime signal flag set
• Substitute chord, an alternative chord used in jazz harmony

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