as in substitutes
a person or thing that fulfills the role of someone or something else
The children's aunt acted as a surrogate for their late mother.
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Recent Examples of surrogates
Her father, Arthur Liu, was a single dad to five kids, all born with the help of surrogates.
—
Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
When pregnancies don't go as planned and medical costs mount, women who sign on as surrogates can be left owing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Several former Surro Connections employees have been working to connect clients and surrogates to other agencies and organizations, which have in turn stepped up to help, with some offering pro bono services.
—Alexandra Chaidez, NBC news, 18 Dec. 2025
Both campaigns are leaning on big-name surrogates to boost turnout in a tightening race.
—Daniel Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Paper, after paper, after paper shows that more and more people are turning from real-life passions to digital surrogates.
—Big Think, 26 Nov. 2025
Her surrogates have been far less subtle.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2025
Kamala Harris weighs in on another presidential bid Despite the speculation, the governor was one of the Biden-Harris campaign's most vocal surrogates.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
The president and his surrogates have been waging an all-out public relations campaign on behalf of the administration’s favored trade tool.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
When pregnancies don't go as planned and medical costs mount, women who sign on as surrogates can be left owing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Several former Surro Connections employees have been working to connect clients and surrogates to other agencies and organizations, which have in turn stepped up to help, with some offering pro bono services.
—Alexandra Chaidez, NBC news, 18 Dec. 2025
Both campaigns are leaning on big-name surrogates to boost turnout in a tightening race.
—Daniel Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Paper, after paper, after paper shows that more and more people are turning from real-life passions to digital surrogates.
—Big Think, 26 Nov. 2025
Her surrogates have been far less subtle.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2025
Kamala Harris weighs in on another presidential bid Despite the speculation, the governor was one of the Biden-Harris campaign's most vocal surrogates.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
The president and his surrogates have been waging an all-out public relations campaign on behalf of the administration’s favored trade tool.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrogates
Noun
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But the 34-year-old German helped Brighton manage the last 20 minutes of a routine 2-0 victory over second-from-bottom Burnley with efficiency, alongside fellow substitutes Danny Welbeck and James Milner, as Fabian Hurzeler’s side ended a run of six matches without a win with the minimum of fuss.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
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Training must emphasize that risk scores and recommendations are tools for professional judgment, not substitutes for it.—
Maureen Flatley,
Boston Herald,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
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But this session will be Polis’ last, and union groups — who have shelved plans to launch a pro-worker ballot campaign — are now starting to eye the governor’s would-be replacements.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
8 Jan. 2026
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Kennedy also fired all 17 members of the CDC's vaccine advisory panel and handpicked their replacements, and has been criticized.—
Dr. Jade Cobern,
ABC News,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Of course, Mars doesn't have trees, and no ice cores have been obtained, but Moreland, Dee and colleagues were able to adapt the Proxy System Modeling for Mars, using data gathered by Curiosity on rock and mineral records to act as proxies for Mars' ancient climate.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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But even for regional agencies, data gaps remain acute, forcing reliance on third-party proxies that flatten economic complexity.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surrogates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrogates. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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