1
: as a substitute or equivalent
was going to write but called instead
2
: as an alternative to something expressed or implied : rather
longed instead for a quiet country life
Examples of instead in a Sentence
I was offered a ride, but I chose to walk instead.
Recent Examples on the Web
Signs now point to him not playing at all in 2025, and instead holding out for whatever team may sign him in the 2026 offseason.
—
James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
Experts have expressed concern about the viability of the payments and impact on the national debt, however, and Bessent himself has said that Americans may not actually get checks, and that the rebates might take the form of a tax cut instead.
—Jeremy Tanner, The Hill, 21 Nov. 2025
However, believing Elphaba wouldn't fall for a rumor, Madame Morrible instead calls on her weather control magic to conjure up the tornado that flies the Kansan home of Dorothy Gale (Bethany Weaver) into Oz and crash lands it on top of Nessa, crushing her.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
Cook County prosecutors had asked the judge to keep Reed in custody until his trial in that case, but instead the judge placed him on electronic monitoring – despite an extensive criminal history with nearly 50 arrests and multiple felony convictions in the last three decades.
—Jermont Terry, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for instead
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James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
Experts have expressed concern about the viability of the payments and impact on the national debt, however, and Bessent himself has said that Americans may not actually get checks, and that the rebates might take the form of a tax cut instead.
—Jeremy Tanner, The Hill, 21 Nov. 2025
However, believing Elphaba wouldn't fall for a rumor, Madame Morrible instead calls on her weather control magic to conjure up the tornado that flies the Kansan home of Dorothy Gale (Bethany Weaver) into Oz and crash lands it on top of Nessa, crushing her.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
Cook County prosecutors had asked the judge to keep Reed in custody until his trial in that case, but instead the judge placed him on electronic monitoring – despite an extensive criminal history with nearly 50 arrests and multiple felony convictions in the last three decades.
—Jermont Terry, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for instead
Cite this Entry
“Instead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instead. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
instead
adverb
in·stead
in-ˈsted 
: as a substitute
was going to write but called instead
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