Meaning & use
substitution
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The act of putting one person or thing in place of another.
Grammar: Can be countable (a substitution, substitutions) or uncountable (the process of substitution).
Patterns
- substitution of something for something
- the substitution of X with Y
- make a substitution
The substitution of plastic for glass made the bottles lighter.
The coach made a substitution at halftime.
The recipe calls for the substitution of honey for sugar.
nouncountablesport
In sports, the act of replacing one player with another during a game.
Grammar: Countable: a substitution, two substitutions.
Patterns
- make a substitution
- a substitution for someone
The team made three substitutions in the second half.
His substitution for the injured striker changed the game.
noununcountablemathematics
In mathematics, the replacement of a variable with a number or expression.
Grammar: Usually uncountable in this sense: use substitution to solve the equation.
Patterns
- by substitution
- substitution of a value into an equation
Solve the system of equations by substitution.
The substitution of x = 2 gives the correct answer.
Word forms
| plural | substitutions |
|---|
Common combinations
- make a substitution
- The manager made a substitution after the goal.
- substitution for
- The substitution of tea for coffee surprised me.
- by substitution
- You can solve this equation by substitution.
- substitution cipher
- A substitution cipher replaces each letter with another.
Synonyms and how they differ
- replacement
- Replacement is more common in everyday speech and often refers to the thing that takes the place; substitution focuses on the act or process.
- swap
- Swap is informal and implies an exchange, often between two things; substitution does not necessarily imply an exchange.
Word family
- substitute noun
- A person or thing that takes the place of another.
- substitute verb
- To use or put someone or something in place of another.
- substitutive adjective
- Serving as a substitute.
Commonly confused: substitution or substation?
substitution vs substation
A substation is a place where electrical power is transformed; substitution is the act of replacing.
Practice
In the sentence 'The substitution of sugar for honey changed the taste,' what does substitution mean?
Choose one answer.
Substitution means replacing one thing with another. Here, sugar is used in place of honey. The other options describe adding, removing, or mixing, which are not substitution.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “substitution”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.