stead

1 of 2

noun

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
In their stead, Ed Sheeran and Weezer will be joining the lineup. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025 Christie before Monday’s game credited Valanciunas’ intangibles for fitting in and helping the offense play efficiently in Sabonis’ stead. Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2025 The multibillion-dollar deal, struck last year, would end the Redstone family’s decades-long run atop Paramount and anoint Mr. Ellison and his son, David, in their stead. Lauren Hirsch, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025 But after a series of flashbacks teasing a school field trip where Michael agreed to chaperone in busy-busy Amy’s stead, Michael called in a favor to get after-hours access to the museum where Danny breathed his last breaths. Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 29 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stead

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of stead was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stead. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on stead

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