Synonyms of substitutes

substitutes 1 of 2

noun

plural of substitute

as in replacements

a person or thing that takes the place of another

you'll be getting a substitute until your regular teacher is feeling better

if you like, you can use nuts as a substitute for coconut in that recipe

Synonyms & Similar Words

• replacements
• backups
• surrogates
• assistants
• subs
• reserves
• proxies
• covers
• stand-ins
• reliefs
• alternates
• fill-ins
• pinch hitters
• deputies
• designated hitters
• delegates
• locum tenentes
• agents
• makeshifts
• apologies
• seconds
• factors
• representatives
• understudies
• successors
• assignees
• commissaries
• attorneys
• reps
• relievers
• stopgaps
• envoys
• procurators
• superseders

substitutes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of substitute

1

as in swaps

to give up (something) and take something else in return

can I substitute coleslaw for potato salad if I order the chicken plate?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• swaps
• exchanges
• trades
• changes
• replaces
• switches
• shifts
• commutes
• supersedes
• interchanges
• displaces
• yields
• surrenders
• cedes
• reciprocates
• hands over

2

as in spells

to serve as a replacement usually for a time only

substituting for the talk show host while she is on vacation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spells
• subs
• covers
• stands in
• fills in
• takes over
• steps in
• pinch-hits
• understudies
• relieves
• doubles (as)

3

as in replaces

to take the place of

"John Doe," "Jane Doe," and "Baby Doe" substituted the real names of the parties involved to preserve their privacy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• replaces
• supersedes
• supplants
• relieves
• displants
• displaces
• usurps
• cuts out
• preempts

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of substitutes

Noun

The restrictions spurred Chinese chipmakers and tech giants to double down on local manufacturing investments, with companies like Huawei developing AI processors as partial substitutes for Nvidia’s top-end chips. —Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026

Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas within the materials sector, covering what’s changing in how fashion is made, scaled or engineered from emerging biomaterials and alternative leathers to sustainable substitutes and future-proof fibers. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 5 Mar. 2026

Often weighed down by this sense of all the characters lost along the way, the film tries to make up for it by unsubtly announcing which characters are whose substitutes. —Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026

Typically, sugar substitutes (including nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners) impact blood sugar to a lesser extent than table sugar. —Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 5 Mar. 2026

But her children struggle to learn when substitutes are teaching. —Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 5 Mar. 2026

The lilt substitutes for a question, a can-I-help-you, which, in my opinion, would be too subservient. —Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026

Funding for substitutes and bus drivers were also noted as needs by more than 50 percent of superintendents; 64 percent needed more funding for Alternative Learning Centers. —Arkansas Online, 2 Mar. 2026

Dortmund top scorer Serhou Guirassy and defender Ramy Bensebaini started as substitutes with coach Niko Kovač explaining that Ramadan fasting was impacting the Muslim players’ fitness. —ABC News, 28 Feb. 2026

Verb

Young Man in a Hurry substitutes status anxiety for race. —Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026

This kind of both-sides-ism, increasingly common in right-leaning partisan media ecosystems, substitutes balance of the blame for balance of the facts. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 16 Feb. 2026

Executive interpretation increasingly substitutes for legislative intent. —Alejandro Reyes, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026

Charlton hit back through Miles Leaburn’s 57th-minute goal, but Marc Guiu swiftly replied and substitutes Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez put the gloss on the scoreline in stoppage time. —Cerys Jones, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026

Target’s four-person meal costs less than $20, about the same as in 2024, but substitutes green beans and cream of mushroom soup for French bread and frozen corn — also not an apples-to-apples comparison. —Dave Smith, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025