surrogate

verb

sur·ro·gate | \ ˈsər-ə-ˌgāt

, ˈsə-rə-\

surrogated; surrogating

Definition of surrogate

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

: to put in the place of another:

a : to appoint as successor, deputy, or substitute for oneself

b : substitute

surrogate

noun, often attributive

sur·ro·gate | \ ˈsər-ə-ˌgāt

, ˈsə-rə-, -gət

Definition of surrogate (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : one appointed to act in place of another : deputy

b : a local judicial officer in some states (such as New York) who has jurisdiction over the probate of wills, the settlement of estates, and the appointment and supervision of guardians

2 : one that serves as a substitute

3 : surrogate mother

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Examples of surrogate in a Sentence

Noun

He could not attend the meeting, so he sent his surrogate. The governor and her surrogates asked the public to support the change. They had their baby through a surrogate.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Their parents later resolved to use surrogacy to continue the family line, and the Laotian surrogate was taken to China after doctors at a hospital in Laos implanted two of the embryos. — Mike Ives, New York Times, "Cambodia Police Arrest 5 in Raid on Surrogacy Operation," 25 June 2018 Although the surrogate's identity still remained somewhat private, viewers got an inside look at her intimate conversation with the Kardashian-Jenner family. — Victoria Rodriguez, Seventeen, "Kim Kardashian's Surrogate Finally Meets the Family in "KUWTK" Season Finale," 5 Mar. 2018 The court’s statement did little to lift the veil of mystery over Shigeta, who had minimal contact with the surrogates. — Kaweewit Kaewjinda, USA TODAY, "Thai court gives secretive Japanese millionaire custody of 13 surrogate kids," 20 Feb. 2018 Experts now recommend gestational surrogacy, where a surrogate fetus is implanted with an embryo made from donor sperm and egg — as opposed to traditional surrogacy, where the surrogate is inseminated with sperm. — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, "The Complicated History of Surrogacy From 'Baby M' to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West," 16 Jan. 2018 Benjamin Allen Cohen Andy Cohen welcomed his first child, born via surrogate, on Feb. 4. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "All the Adorable Celebrity Babies Born in 2019," 17 Mar. 2019 Gabrielle Union publicly shared her infertility problems with her husband, Dwyane Wade, last fall, among them a harrowing eight failed IVF cycles and multiple miscarriages, before having a daughter at the age of 46 via surrogate. — Jancee Dunn, Vogue, "How California Became the World’s Fertility Treatment Destination," 13 Mar. 2019 Kim and husband Kanye West are currently expecting their fourth child later this year, via surrogate. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kim Kardashian's Daughters, North & Chicago, Look Just Like Her in This Photo," 18 Feb. 2019 Bravo star Andy Cohen was shamed for taking his newborn son, who was born via surrogate on Feb. 4, on an airplane. — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, "Andy Cohen Was Just Dad-Shamed for Taking His Newborn on an Airplane," 12 Feb. 2019

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