Thesaurus results for SUBSTITUTES

substitutes 1 of 2

noun

plural of substitute

as in replacements

a person or thing that takes the place of another you'll be getting a substitute until your regular teacher is feeling better if you like, you can use nuts as a substitute for coconut in that recipe

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substitutes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of substitute

as in swaps

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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as in spells

to serve as a replacement usually for a time only substituting for the talk show host while she is on vacation

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as in replaces

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 substitutes

Noun

At halftime, Irankunda and Metcalfe came on as substitutes, and the team started to gel and to threaten. — Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 1 July 2026 In my West Palm Beach practice, cancer patients who need these skin substitutes instead have open head wounds. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 July 2026 Senegal led the way with four goals from substitutes while Switzerland, Germany and Canada each had three goals off the bench. — Miami Herald, 29 June 2026 Unfortunately, planting did not quite keep up with demand, and brewers looked for creative substitutes. — Jay R. Brooks, Mercury News, 2 July 2026 For 74 minutes, this game was goalless, but part of the joy of World Cups comes from substitutes actually making their mark. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 July 2026 Five substitutes poured on, including the evergreen Michael Leitch, and Italy's rate of unforced errors increased in the face of determined defense. — ABC News, 4 July 2026 Haaland, a fan favorite in the tournament, will start the match on the substitutes' bench, ESPN reported Friday. — Jaclyn Hendricks, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026 Mayele put Congo ahead 10 minutes later when flicking past Nematov at the near post and was mobbed by teammates and even substitutes, who raced off the bench and across the field to join in the wild celebrations. — CBS News, 28 June 2026

Verb

No program substitutes for that. — Desmon Yancy, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026 The brand partially substitutes sugar with stevia and erythritol. — Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026 It is offered as rationale for below-market compensation, as though mission alignment is a form of currency that substitutes for pay. — Charles Stanton, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026 But no technology substitutes for the human infrastructure, partnerships, and political will that made the old system work. — Stephanie Psaki, The Atlantic, 22 May 2026 Agreed, but this bill substitutes the long, painstaking and complex work of fixing California’s troubled insurance market with finger-pointing and posturing. — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2026 The Landmark leans into organic design with decorative wood trim work and a palette of whites, browns and soft beige, while the Marisol substitutes the traditional colors of Mediterranean design for modern white, soft gray and taupe. — Pulte Homes, Miami Herald, 11 May 2026 Finally, because Helms-Burton gave presidents power to block these suits, the majority concluded that this mechanism substitutes for the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act rather than coexisting with it. — Manuel A. Gómez, The Conversation, 25 June 2026 But the manner in which substitutes Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams, Nicolas Dominguez and two-goal Callum Hudson-Odoi transformed the tie had a sobering effect on the Wrexham hierarchy. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 6 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for substitutes

Noun

In cases of cobalt toxicity linked to hip replacements, the symptoms usually develop over many months, not weeks, as in the woman’s case.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026
Ukraine's attacks damaged specialized equipment that is often sourced abroad, making repairs time-consuming and expensive as workarounds or replacements are sought by evading sanctions.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026

Definition of replacements

Verb

As its name suggests, the 9060 Mule trims down the sneaker from its usual height, removes the heel in favor of a backless look with an adjustable support strap and swaps out materials for an even more breathable summertime build.

— Riley Jones, Footwear News, 2 July 2026
When the response comes back, the gateway swaps the tokens back with the original real values.

— Phil Portman, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of swaps

Verb

Furniture Mall replaces about 150,000-square feet in what was once a Macy’s store that closed in 2025.

— Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026
This discrepancy, per the report’s projection, will worsen in the 2026-27 school year when STUNT replaces equestrian as a varsity sport.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of replaces

Verb

Thomas regularly exchanges texts and Instagram messages with Alex’s mother, Leah, in Perth, while enjoying the company of his father, Damien, a former Australian rules football player, when the Condons travel stateside.

— Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2026
To address the challenge, the team designed a swap gate based purely on geometric phases, that exchanges the quantum state of two qubits.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026

Definition of exchanges

Verb

Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers space phenomena, scientific studies and natural disasters.

— Julia Gomez, USA Today, 3 July 2026
The partnership covers low-power DRAM (LPDRAM), NOR flash memory, and Universal Flash Storage (UFS) NAND products.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 July 2026

Definition of covers

Verb

State Attorney’s Office prosecutors originally charged Bradly Shawn Shadduck, 56, with second-degree murder, but the grand jury indictment supersedes that charge, and he is now being held without bond on premeditated murder.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026
In that sense, this agreement supersedes previous efforts to tie Lebanon’s stability and sovereignty to external agendas.

— Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026

Definition of supersedes

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substituted

substitutes

substituting

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“Substitutes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substitutes. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of substitutes

noun

verb

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