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
But the decision to start it was his alone, and no amount of spin from his surrogates should obscure this fact.
—
Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2026
Surrogacy helps people from all backgrounds build a family, and experts in the field say that the myth that surrogates are exploited is not accurate.
—Kris Ann Valdez, Parents, 13 Feb. 2026
Like organ donors, many surrogates draw on the rhetoric of gift-giving to describe their motivations.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Known as StellFoundry, the new project focuses on replacing lengthy calculations in the design process with types of digital models, or surrogates, that provide rough calculation estimates.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026
While some of its surrogates, such as Hezbollah, have been significantly weakened by Israel over the past two years, others remain heavily armed.
—Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
Cuban was one of the most visible campaign surrogates, especially from the business world, traversing the country and promoting Harris’s economic proposals.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 13 Dec. 2024
The governor dispatched surrogates by helicopter to deliver news to some Democrats that their services were no longer needed.
—Christopher Cooper / Made By History, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
In May 2023, Adams was snubbed when left off the list of Biden’s reelection surrogates.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 4 Dec. 2024
Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2026
Surrogacy helps people from all backgrounds build a family, and experts in the field say that the myth that surrogates are exploited is not accurate.
—Kris Ann Valdez, Parents, 13 Feb. 2026
Like organ donors, many surrogates draw on the rhetoric of gift-giving to describe their motivations.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Known as StellFoundry, the new project focuses on replacing lengthy calculations in the design process with types of digital models, or surrogates, that provide rough calculation estimates.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026
While some of its surrogates, such as Hezbollah, have been significantly weakened by Israel over the past two years, others remain heavily armed.
—Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
Cuban was one of the most visible campaign surrogates, especially from the business world, traversing the country and promoting Harris’s economic proposals.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 13 Dec. 2024
The governor dispatched surrogates by helicopter to deliver news to some Democrats that their services were no longer needed.
—Christopher Cooper / Made By History, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
In May 2023, Adams was snubbed when left off the list of Biden’s reelection surrogates.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 4 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrogates
Noun
-
The substitutes offered do not qualify as public amenities under any reasonable reading of the city’s own standards.—
Naperville Sun,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 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,
Sourcing Journal,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The replacements – marbles, the honeycomb candy carving game, the ddakji tile-flipping game – were chosen because any viewer anywhere could understand them within seconds.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
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Users can get free replacements from Insulet.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Israel has deployed its assassination strategy with dramatic but mixed results in Lebanon and Gaza, killing Hassan Nasrallah and Yahya Sinwar, the leaders of Iranian proxies Hezbollah and Hamas.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Many American service members were killed or wounded by weapons supplied by Iranian forces and their proxies.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surrogates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrogates. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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