Meaning & use
substitutes
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“substitutes” is a form of “substitute”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
Things or people that take the place of others, used when the original is missing or unavailable.
Grammar: Plural of substitute; often with for: substitutes for butter.
Patterns
- substitutes for something
Margarine and oil are substitutes for butter in this recipe.
The teacher called in substitutes for the absent staff.
Sweeteners are substitutes for sugar.
nounpluralsport
Players in a team who are ready to replace members on the field during a match.
Grammar: Sport use: the substitutes sit on the bench.
Patterns
- the substitutes on the bench
The substitutes warmed up along the touchline.
Both coaches used all their substitutes.
The substitutes celebrated the winning goal.
verbtransitive or intransitive
Third person singular of substitute: puts one thing or person in place of another.
Grammar: She substitutes honey for sugar; he substitutes for the sick teacher.
Patterns
- substitute something for something
- substitute for someone
She substitutes yogurt for cream in her soup.
He substitutes for the manager on Fridays.
The coach substitutes tired players at half time.
Word forms
| singular | substitute |
|---|---|
| past tense | substituted |
| -ing form | substituting |
Common combinations
- cheap substitutes
- The store sells cheap substitutes for brand products.
- healthy substitutes
- Use healthy substitutes for sugar.
- use substitutes
- We had to use substitutes for missing parts.
- no substitutes
- There are no substitutes for hard work.
- substitutes bench
- He sat on the substitutes bench.
Synonyms and how they differ
- replacements
- Replacements take the place of something broken or gone for good, while substitutes are often temporary.
- alternatives
- Alternatives are other choices, not necessarily replacements for something missing.
- stand-ins
- Stand-ins are people who briefly take over a role, which is narrower than substitutes.
- reserves
- Reserves are extra players kept in hand, similar to sport substitutes.
Opposites
Word family
- substitute verb
- to put in place of another
- substitution noun
- the act of replacing
- substitutable adjective
- able to be replaced
Commonly confused: substitutes or constitutes?
substitutes vs constitutes
Constitutes means forms or makes up a whole, not replaces.
Practice
Which preposition completes it: She substitutes honey ___ sugar in tea.
Choose one answer.
You substitute the new thing for the old one, so honey replaces sugar. With is used when the order is reversed: substitute sugar with honey.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “substitutes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.