stead

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noun \ ˈsted \

Definition of stead

1 obsolete :locality, place

2 :advantage —used chiefly in the phrase to stand one in good stead

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

acted in his brother's stead

See stead defined for English-language learners

See stead defined for kids

Examples of stead in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of stead from the Web

One day, a female coach lead practice in Page’s stead.

— emmanuel morgan, charlotteobserver, "Growing up in high poverty area, they say they were saved by soccer, faith and a coach," 25 Aug. 2017
The running backs who played in his stead did little to stir up spectators.

— kirk kenney, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Three Aztecs football players have chickenpox; Long concerned there will be more," 13 Aug. 2017
Be on the lookout for editions authored by our gracious colleagues in our stead.

— Bloomberg.com, "Your Evening Briefing," 11 Aug. 2017
Using its unique tool, the trip hazard is cut off and in its stead is a gentle slop that's much safer for pedestrians.

— ted hendricks, The Aegis, "Summer means time to fix trip hazards in Bel Air," 28 July 2017
Because Wolfenstein’s finally moving away from good ol’ B.J. Blazkowicz and trying on a trio of new characters in his stead, each of which sounds interesting.

— hayden dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: For Honor gets dedicated servers, Destiny 2 PC beta dates revealed," 28 July 2017
So, country music queen Crystal Gayle will delight audiences in her stead.

— jennifer brett, ajc, "Why Crystal Gayle is taking Brenda Lee’s place at upcoming concert," 18 July 2017
Josh Hader – isn't being considered to make starts in Anderson's stead.

— todd rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brent Suter gets first shot to start in Chase Anderson's absence," 2 July 2017
In stead of a now-familiar stalk, the shifter consists of three buttons and two pull-toggles placed low in the Terrain’s center stack, below the climate and audio controls.

— mark phelan, Detroit Free Press, "GMC bets on new shifter design in 2018 Terrain SUV," 2 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stead.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of stead

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

stead Synonyms

Synonyms

better, bulge, catbird seat, drop, edge, high ground, inside track, jump, pull, advantage, upper hand, vantage, whip hand

Antonyms

disadvantage, drawback, handicap, liability, minus, penalty, strike

Related Words

allowance, head start, lead, leg up, margin, odds, start; ascendancy (also ascendency), command, dominance, mastery, predominance, superiority, supremacy, transcendence, transcendency; precedence, preference, prerogative, privilege, seniority; break, foothold, opportunity; benefit, blessing, boon, felicity, godsend, manna, windfall

Near Antonyms

detriment, stranglehold; disparity, imbalance, inequality, unevenness; disability, failing, impairment, shortcoming; bar, catch, check, clog, crimp, embarrassment, hindrance, hitch, hurdle, impediment, interference, let, manacle, obstacle, obstruction, rub, shackle, stop, trammel; lurch, setback

stead

verb

Definition of stead

transitive verb

:to be of avail to :help

First Known Use of stead

13th century

STEAD Defined for Kids

stead

play

noun \ ˈsted \

Definition of stead for Students

1 :advantage Hint: This sense of stead is used mostly in the phrase stand someone in good stead.

Buck's marvellous quickness and agility stood him in good stead.
—Jack London, The Call of the Wild

2 :the place usually taken or duty carried out by the person or thing mentioned

I'll work in your stead.

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stead

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