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

Other Miami substitutes included Mateo Silvetti, Rocco Rios-Novo, David Ruiz, Daniel Pinter, Preston Plambeck, and Alex Shaw. —Miami Herald, 9 May 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, Footwear News, 7 May 2026

Neco Williams, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Chris Wood, Nikola Milenkovic and Omari Hutchinson — all key figures in recent weeks — were all among the substitutes. —Simon Johnson, New York Times, 4 May 2026

When Ponce and Brizuela played in the World Cup, there was no controversy because both were substitutes, and Brizuela’s nationality was only revealed after the tournament. —Carlos Rodriguez, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026

Although schools are open with substitutes, the strike has consumed about 6% of the academic year. —Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026

Although often perceived of as low-quality substitutes for proper newspapers, free newspapers became hugely popular in the 2000s. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Apr. 2026

Sturm didn’t have the magic touch with his substitutes. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026

What are the best protein powder substitutes for smoothies? —Olivia Tarantino, Martha Stewart, 26 Apr. 2026

Verb

But the manner in which substitutes Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams, Nicolas Dominguez and two-goal Callum Hudson-Odoi transformed the tie had a sobering effect on the Wrexham hierarchy. —Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 6 May 2026

Agreed, but this bill substitutes the long, painstaking and complex work of fixing California’s troubled insurance market with finger-pointing and posturing. —Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2026

Rosenson said that if CRISPR is a scissor that cuts both strands of DNA, base editing is an eraser that substitutes one chemical letter, or base, in a single strand of DNA. —David Cox, NBC news, 6 Apr. 2026

Ramps substitutes Because their season is so short, ramps can be hard to track down. —Kelly Vaughan, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Mar. 2026

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

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