# instead of

idiom · CEFR A2

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/instead-of
Updated: 2026-04-22

## Meaning

in place of someone or something else. You use this when you choose one thing and not another.

## Examples

- I will drink tea instead of coffee today.
- He wears a blue shirt instead of a white one for the party.
- She decided to walk to work instead of taking the bus because the weather was so beautiful.
- We should use fresh vegetables from the market instead of buying frozen ones if we want the soup to taste better.
- The committee chose to invest in renewable energy sources instead of continuing their reliance on outdated and environmentally harmful fossil fuels.

## Origin

From the Middle English *in stede of* or *in stude of*, which functioned as a literal construction meaning in the place of. The form is equivalent to the modern *in* + *stead* + *of*, a relationship preserved in the phrase *in one's stead*. The term shares its lineage with several Germanic cognates, appearing as *insteede* or *ansteede* in Saterland Frisian and *ynstee* in West Frisian. It is further related to the Dutch *instede*, the German *anstatt*, and the Danish *i stedet*.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.