substituting

present participle of substitute
1
as in exchanging
to give up (something) and take something else in return can I substitute coleslaw for potato salad if I order the chicken plate?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in covering
to serve as a replacement usually for a time only substituting for the talk show host while she is on vacation

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in replacing
to take the place of "John Doe," "Jane Doe," and "Baby Doe" substituted the real names of the parties involved to preserve their privacy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of substituting It can be made year-round, substituting in whatever fruit is available, ripe and delicious. Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 His character Ned Schneebly was supposed to be substituting — until Dewey impersonated him and stepped in. Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 Like the Republican critics of resistance politics, progressive ones depicted it as substituting legal tactics for electoral victories. Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 Start by substituting the x- and y-coordinates of the two points into the equation describing the line to get two new equations. Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026 Say, the need for even clearer descriptions for how long to mix pie dough; or indicating where ingredient swaps are possible, like substituting collard greens for kale in braised greens. Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Aug. 2026 As of the publishing of this review, CPU teams are allowing guys to simply smoke themselves rather than properly substituting. Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026 At the same time, these platforms aren’t substituting for traditional employment. Jacob Lederman, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026 Try substituting chicken broth for the water to add a little extra flavor to the dish. Elizabeth Nelson, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for substituting
Verb
  • Land exchanges are common elsewhere in the federal government, but exchanging National Park Service land for private development access is unusual, NOTUS reported, citing a former park service official.
    Annie Palmer, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026
  • First, the Huskies mixed it up with some marching band members on the practice field outside of Huskie Stadium, jumping in on a routine and exchanging fight songs, with the players chanting, clapping and pumping their fists during their version.
    Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Pack a tube of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) in your first aid kit instead of antibiotic ointment and remember to flush all scrapes and cuts with copious amounts of clean water before covering them with the jelly.
    Dr. Jill Grimes, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Ground surveys can provide more detailed information at a particular site, but covering an entire subway corridor that way would be difficult.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Dublin underdogs have won 75% of the past four openers, but four games are nowhere near enough to justify replacing the market estimate with that historical rate.
    Giovanni Malloy, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Conservation efforts have included replacing cattle with free-ranging bison, restoring Rio Grande cutthroat trout habitat, and using prescribed fire and forest management to improve ecosystem health.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Elite researchers are swapping between rival labs at dizzying speed.
    Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The researchers believe that pigment manufacturing could benefit from swapping out artificial—and frequently toxic—materials for varying sizes and densities of pterin crystals.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • While deep in the throes of his intestinal Hell, Tony has a series of fever dreams that start out as subtle warnings and end up practically spelling it out for him.
    Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • But he is visited by Kanbei (Masaki Suda), an envoy from a different clan, who tells him that more and more factions are siding with Oda, spelling certain doom for Murashige.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Verb
  • Days later, Beirich was charged in the second superseding indictment.
    Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Johnson said that a grand jury approved a superseding indictment on Thursday.
    Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Doing the math, that leaves two other units with residents who will have a say since allowing the foundation to take over the entire space would require changing the co-op’s bylaws, Richards said.
    Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Asked about their firm’s primary hurdle in managing the current trade landscape, the vast majority (57 percent) said policy uncertainty, like tariffs changing with little notice, as their foremost challenge.
    Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Coincidentally, Barenaked Ladies are on the same double bill as Train this summer, with Robertson’s son, Lyle, subbing in as a utility player after bassist Jim Creeggan had to take a leave of absence to care for his family.
    Devon Ivie, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In 2020, Thompson was the second guest judge subbing for Cowell, following a stint by Kelly Clarkson.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Substituting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/substituting. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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