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

Their language skills will stand them in good stead when they travel.

3

obsolete : locality, place

stead

2 of 2

verb

steaded; steading; steads

transitive verb

: to be of avail to : help

Synonyms of stead

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 his stead, the Stanislaus, San Joaquin, and Amador county Republican central committees all endorsed challenger Jim Shoemaker to represent the state’s ninth district in 2026. —Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 17 Feb. 2026

This approach puts him in good stead ahead of next year’s election. —Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026

His wife, Kimberly, and their six children attended in his stead. —Alessandra De Tommasi, Vanity Fair, 12 Feb. 2026

Comparing this year’s best picture nominees with previous winners as a way to assess their chances has stood us in good stead before, so once again let’s turn to Oscar history to calculate the odds for this year’s crop of hopefuls. —Lisa Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026

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