To Substitute
- (transitive) To use in place of something else, with the same function.
- (transitive) In the phrase "substitute X for Y", to use X in place of Y. With increasing frequency used in the semantically opposite sense
- (transitive) In the phrase "substitute X with/by Y", to use Y in place of X; to replace X with Y
- (transitive, sports) To remove (a player) from the field of play and bring on another in his place.
- (intransitive) To serve as a replacement(for someone or something)
Usage notesEdit
The verb "to substitute" can be used transitively in two opposite ways. "To substitute X" may mean either "use X in place of something else" (as in definitions 1 and 2), or "use something else in place of X" (as in definitions 3 and 4). The latter use is more recent, but it is widespread and now generally accepted (see the COED's note on the matter). However, if the indirect object (the "something else") is omitted, the preposition is also omitted, and the reader or hearer cannot tell which sense is meant