Synonyms of substituting

substituting

verb

present participle of substitute

1

as in exchanging

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

• exchanging
• swapping
• changing
• trading
• replacing
• switching
• shifting
• commuting
• interchanging
• displacing
• superseding
• reciprocating
• yielding
• surrendering
• ceding
• handing over

2

as in covering

to serve as a replacement usually for a time only

substituting for the talk show host while she is on vacation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• covering
• spelling
• subbing
• standing in
• filling in
• taking over
• pinch-hitting
• stepping in
• relieving
• understudying
• doubling (as)

3

as in replacing

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

• replacing
• superseding
• supplanting
• relieving
• displacing
• displanting
• usurping
• preempting
• cutting out

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of substituting

Villalobos said the students used training guns with paintballs substituting for bullets. —Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026

Some took the trend and ran with it, substituting the actual skin care for a stick of butter. —Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 26 Dec. 2025

Early reports indicate that kids are fooling the age-recognition software with sophisticated techniques such as drawing on facial hair and substituting celebrity photos for their own. —Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025

Finally, try substituting egg yolks instead of using the whole egg listed in the ingredients of your box brownie mix. —Patricia S York, Southern Living, 22 Dec. 2025

If Calvados apple liqueur is unavailable for the glaze, substituting water works wonderfully. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2025

Because of this, nutritionist Leticia Carrera, director of the center Felicidad Carrera, advises always eating pulses with brown rice and substituting the combination for meat two to three times a week—at least. —Ana Morales, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025

Maduro is widely believed to have lost the 2024 presidential election to rival Edmundo González, a candidate substituting Machado, yet still claimed victory. —David Smilde, The Conversation, 10 Oct. 2025

William wrote Temple out of his will, substituting his granddaughter. —Stacy Schiff, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025