substituting

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?

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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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of substituting In fact, substituting toys for all hazards and unwanted behaviors are excellent protective measures. Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 More concerning changes include consistently struggling to recall familiar words, substituting incorrect words, losing the meaning of common words, or experiencing memory problems that are getting worse or interfering with everyday life. Allison Forsyth, HEALTH, 2 Sep. 2026 His character Ned Schneebly was supposed to be substituting — until Dewey impersonated him and stepped in. Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 Like the Republican critics of resistance politics, progressive ones depicted it as substituting legal tactics for electoral victories. Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 Start by substituting the x- and y-coordinates of the two points into the equation describing the line to get two new equations. Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026 Say, the need for even clearer descriptions for how long to mix pie dough; or indicating where ingredient swaps are possible, like substituting collard greens for kale in braised greens. Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Aug. 2026 As of the publishing of this review, CPU teams are allowing guys to simply smoke themselves rather than properly substituting. Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026 At the same time, these platforms aren’t substituting for traditional employment. Jacob Lederman, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substituting
Verb
  • Giants special assistant Ron Wotus considered Vitello’s first-inning ejection by umpire Alan Porter last Friday so unfair that he got kicked out the following day while exchanging lineup cards.
    Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • At the time, purchasing teams spent an extraordinary amount of effort exchanging emails, updating spreadsheets and manually tracking order status.
    Davide Sartini, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Both books combine new, headline-generating reporting with intel Wickersham has gathered over decades covering football.
    Aaron Reiss, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • But since Harvey, then a senior at Oberlin College, was writing for the Oberlin Review, covering football was a rather tricky proposition.
    Jesse Dougherty, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • To be sure, commercially viable applications will have to enter the market, old industrial equipment will need replacing, and computing power will need to be built.
    Eugenia Perozo, semafor.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Khamenei has not been seen in public since replacing his father as Iran's supreme leader.
    Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Drolet sees opportunities to use them in dips and even pasta sauce — like swapping out heavy cream for the Mike’s Hot Honey cream cheese in a Bolognese.
    Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Transitioning your skincare for fall includes swapping lightweight moisturizers for creamier concoctions designed to replenish the moisture barrier as the weather gets drier.
    Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 15 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • While deep in the throes of his intestinal Hell, Tony has a series of fever dreams that start out as subtle warnings and end up practically spelling it out for him.
    Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • But he is visited by Kanbei (Masaki Suda), an envoy from a different clan, who tells him that more and more factions are siding with Oda, spelling certain doom for Murashige.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Verb
  • Now, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has proposed making this process permanent and potentially worse by having a political appointee review all grants before they are awarded, superseding the peer review process.
    Abdullah Shihipar, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Days later, Beirich was charged in the second superseding indictment.
    Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • In its premiere, this was a Korean Cherry Orchard performed in Korean for audiences that needed no primer on its setting, the rapidly changing globalized city where the characters’ home is threatening to disappear.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • That started changing in April 2025, when AmaWaterways launched AmaMagdalena, the first luxury cruise ship to navigate the Magdalena.
    Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Arriola found the net two minutes after subbing in for newcomer Dejan Joveljić in the 79th minute.
    CBS News, CBS News, 13 Sep. 2026
  • When Clark was subbing in during the opener against China and started to step on the court before being officially told to, Reese, who was entering the game at the same time, pulled her back off the court.
    ABC News, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Substituting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substituting. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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