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

Some salt substitutes contain smaller amounts of both sodium chloride and potassium chloride because potassium chloride can taste metallic or bitter. — Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 6 Nov. 2026

With those in place, criteria set by a customer, insurer or assessor become inputs to the institution’s judgment rather than substitutes for it. — Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 5 Nov. 2026

The main difference in these exotic atoms is that the electron substitutes are much heavier. — George Musser, Quanta Magazine, 2 Nov. 2026

Schatzlein said that the back-up option would be that five probationary EL teachers are laid off and become long-term substitutes for the district. — Beret Leone, CBS News, 30 Oct. 2026

Moreover, both sides are now able to target the substitutes and reserves that in the past could be used to cushion losses. — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026

To be sure, odds and gambling platforms do not use methodologies used by traditional political polling, and therefore are not substitutes for political polls. — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026

Liverpool coach Andoni Iraola dropped Virgil van Dijk to the substitutes’ bench with French defender Jérémy Jacquet starting. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Some consumers searched for substitutes, and ethanol was an answer then. — Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Verb

Then, with one click of a Copy button, the website quietly substitutes a command that could put your Mac at risk. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

This approach substitutes information for sensation, and reduces both human and supra-human experiences to the level of data. — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

So Tuchel, who always substitutes his wingers after roughly an hour, decided to withdraw Gordon and bring on an extra defender, Ezri Konsa. — Michael Cox, New York Times, 16 July 2026

Another way to say this is that, in place of the extensive self-announcements Plato allows his characters, Rochester substitutes his own summary judgements, his sarcastic imitations. — Literary Hub, 6 July 2026

Finally, because Helms-Burton gave presidents power to block these suits, the majority concluded that this mechanism substitutes for the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act rather than coexisting with it. — Manuel A. Gómez, The Conversation, 25 June 2026

No program substitutes for that. — Desmon Yancy, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026

It is offered as rationale for below-market compensation, as though mission alignment is a form of currency that substitutes for pay. — Charles Stanton, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026

The brand partially substitutes sugar with stevia and erythritol. — Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026