substitute
verb
uk/ˈsʌbstɪtjuːt/ us [ T ]
to use something different or new instead of another thing:
substitute sth for sth Industry must reduce fuel consumption by substituting alternative fuels for fossil fuels.
substitute sth with sth It takes time to substitute local brands with your own brand names.
substitute for sb [ I ]
WORKPLACE
to take the place of another person or do their job for a period of time:
She was asked to substitute for the absent committee chairman.
substitute for sth [ I ]
to do the same job as another thing or take its place:
The government expects natural gas to substitute for oil exports in the future.
Many dot.com companies have learnt that technology can never substitute for customer service.
substitute
noun [ C ]
uk/ˈsʌbstɪtjuːt/ ussomething different or new that is used instead of another thing:
(as) a substitute for sth We are looking at the possibility of using foreign production as a substitute for exports to foreign markets.
cheap/good/poor substitutes Cheaper substitutes displaced the product from the world market.
egg/fat/meat substitutes
Early warning of a layoff is no substitute for a job.
WORKPLACE
someone who takes the place of another person or does their job for a period of time:
a substitute for sb Fixed-term contract workers and agency workers are not always direct substitutes for one another.
there's no substitute for sth/doing sth
nothing else is as good as the stated thing or action:
In this industry, there's no substitute for experience.