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
Relevance
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
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of substituting
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
Junior quarterback Leo Stalsberg — substituting for senior starter Cedric Tomes, who’s out with a broken finger — completed 2 of 10 pass attempts for 25 yards.
—Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
On the technical side of things, this jacket places warm fleece in just the right spots to keep you warm, substituting in lighter material on the sides, sleeves, and lower torso to allow room to breathe.
—Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2025
Leucovorin, or folinic acid, can counteract those effects by substituting for folate and allowing the body’s folate processes to continue functioning in the presence of methotrexate.
—Alice Park, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Emotivism is substituting for moral judgment on politics.
—Stephen Kent, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
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
Junior quarterback Leo Stalsberg — substituting for senior starter Cedric Tomes, who’s out with a broken finger — completed 2 of 10 pass attempts for 25 yards.
—Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
On the technical side of things, this jacket places warm fleece in just the right spots to keep you warm, substituting in lighter material on the sides, sleeves, and lower torso to allow room to breathe.
—Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2025
Leucovorin, or folinic acid, can counteract those effects by substituting for folate and allowing the body’s folate processes to continue functioning in the presence of methotrexate.
—Alice Park, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Emotivism is substituting for moral judgment on politics.
—Stephen Kent, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substituting
Verb
-
After exchanging zeros, All-Star catcher Will Smith pounded a solo home run with two outs in the 11th inning.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Take William Shakespeare, who is often portrayed as a carouser, downing pints while exchanging barbs with his fellow writers, cheating on his wife with both men and women, passionately engaging his quill to reimagine the very nature of the human being.—
Isaac Butler,
The Atlantic,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Emma Burleigh is a reporter at Fortune, covering success, careers, entrepreneurship, and personal finance.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Bedford said during the news conference that air traffic controllers continuing to work during the shutdown are covering longer hours and more days.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Adoption accelerates naturally when professionals understand that AI is amplifying their capabilities, rather than replacing them.—
Feon Ang,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Lecholop acknowledged that the key feature of the process is removing a board elected by the community and replacing it with one hand-picked by Morath.—
Silas Allen,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Houck underlined that swapping Princeton’s components into Google’s best quantum processor would enable it to work 1,000 times better.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
-
That could include reducing the amount of alfalfa and other hay crops used to feed livestock, or swapping out wheat and sorghum and instead planting corn and potatoes.—
Huma Tariq Malik,
The Conversation,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Try spelling the word customer backward.—
Neil Senturia,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
-
In Pennsylvania, lawmakers have still not broken out of the impasse, spelling financial distress for schools and counties that rely particularly heavily on state funding.—
Isabella Volmert,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Those charges, however, were amended when prosecutors filed superseding indictments in both cases in early September.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The revelation was disclosed in a superseding indictment posted to the federal docket on Tuesday.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The research’s molecular dynamics and experimental results confirm that adjusting the interlayer spacing by changing the C3N4 content effectively improves the reaction kinetics.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
-
After all, your business deserves a fighting chance in a highly competitive, often-changing market.—
K.H. Koehler,
jsonline.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Reaves made three pull-up 3-pointers within 2½ minutes of subbing back into the game in the fourth, putting him at 45 points, with his last one giving the Lakers a 108-101 lead.—
Khobi Price,
Oc Register,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Josh Faraimo, subbing for starting quarterback Brady Palmer, threw a TD pass to Isaac Cook.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Substituting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substituting. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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