stead

1 of 2

noun

ˈsted 

1

: the office, place, or function ordinarily occupied or carried out by someone or something else

acted in his brother's stead

2

: advantage

—used chiefly in the phrase to stand one in good stead

3

obsolete : locality, place

stead

2 of 2

verb

steaded; steading; steads

transitive verb

: to be of avail to : help

Synonyms

Noun

• advantage
• edge

Examples of stead in a Sentence

Noun

a summer internship will stand you in good stead when applying to college

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In McCarthy's stead, Wentz put together an impressive Week 3 performance, guiding the Vikings to a huge 48-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. —James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025

But Burrow is sidelined for weeks after toe surgery, and the Broncos will see Browning in his stead on Monday night, a longtime backup who capably filled in for Burrow over seven starts in 2023. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025

In Brock Purdy’s stead, Mac Jones stepped in and threw three touchdowns, and Christian McCaffrey — the recipient of one of those touchdowns — became just the third player in NFL history with 50 rushing scores and 30 receiving scores, joining Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk and Lenny Moore. —Zak Keefer, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025

Cade Mays will start at center in Corbett’s stead. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English stede, from Old English; akin to Old High German stat place, Old English standan to stand — more at stand

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing stead

• in someone's/something's stead
• stand someone/something in good stead

Rhymes for stead

• bed
• bled
• bread
• bred
• dead
• dread
• ed
• fed
• fled
• ged
• head
• lead

Kids Definition

stead

noun

ˈsted

1

: advantage sense 3, service

their knowledge of French stood them in good stead

2

: the place usually taken or duty carried out by the one mentioned

acted in the mayor's stead