surrogate

verb sur·ro·gate \ ˈsər-ə-ˌgāt , ˈsə-rə- \

Updated on: 13 May 2018

Definition of surrogate

surrogated; surrogating

transitive verb

: to put in the place of another:

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

b : substitute

Origin and Etymology of surrogate

Latin surrogatus, past participle of surrogare to choose in place of another, substitute, from sub- + rogare to ask — more at right

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1533

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

surrogate

noun, often attributive sur·ro·gate \ ˈsər-ə-ˌgāt , ˈsə-rə- , -gət \

Definition of surrogate

1 a : 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

See surrogate defined for English-language learners

See surrogate defined for kids

Examples of surrogate in a Sentence

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 of surrogate from the Web

When foes become friends, customers become competitors and suppliers become surrogates, refusing to transform our approach is a fool’s bet.

— josh linkner, Detroit Free Press, "Why should professionals stop clinging to the past? Pigs are flying," 28 Apr. 2018
McGann excused Ernest Johnson’s surrogates, who were replaced by Stanback’s second challenger, James Butler, who is also running for mayor.

— paul schwartzman, Washington Post, "A homeless man wants to be DC’s next mayor. Will the city let him on the ballot?," 11 Apr. 2018
Although Chicago was born via surrogate, Kim and Kanye were in the delivery room to welcome her and Kim was reportedly the the first person to have skin-to-skin contact with the baby.

— kayleigh roberts, Harper's BAZAAR, "Saint West Loves His Baby Sister Chicago So Much in Kim Kardashian's New Picture," 31 Mar. 2018
Rather than play the role of campaign surrogate, aides say Clinton has carved out a position as a seed investor and strategic adviser of the anti-Trump resistance.

— eric bradner, CNN, "Hillary Clinton re-emerges as GOP's reliable boogeyman," 30 Mar. 2018
Even not counting the original egg donor and surrogate, the cloning process still requires numerous dogs to produce a single clone.

— jacob brogan, Smithsonian, "The Real Reasons You Shouldn’t Clone Your Dog," 22 Mar. 2018
What doesn't: The film lacks an effective audience surrogate, which keeps it from achieving adequate emotional resonance.

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "'7 Days in Entebbe' movie review: Hijacking drama never quite takes off," 16 Mar. 2018
Sure, the candidates have named surrogates (Bill Clinton for Obama, Chris Christie for Romney), but the men themselves have cleared their schedules for Tuesday.

— nona willis aronowitz, Marie Claire, "Hurricane Sandy Is All About Politics," 30 Oct. 2012
The officials said the West Wing has had little success reaching out to Republicans, in hopes of finding senators or other surrogates to push back against the narrative forming against Jackson.

— pamela brown, CNN, "Jackson spotlights the frustration with poor White House vetting," 25 Apr. 2018

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.