Meaning & use
stead
Last updated
The place or role normally occupied by someone or something else, especially in the phrase 'in someone's stead.'
See it in a sentence
When the mayor fell ill, her deputy spoke in her stead at the ceremony.
He sent his assistant in his stead to handle the negotiations.
A note on using this word
Almost always used in the fixed phrase 'in [someone's] stead'; it rarely appears on its own in modern English.
Words with a similar meaning
placebehalf
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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