ENGLISH
REFERENCE

substitutes

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈsəbstəˌtuts// UK //sˈʌbstɪtjˌuːts// sub·sti·tutes

n. people or things that you use instead of the ones you usually have. You often see this word in sports when a new player replaces another during a game.

n. persons or things acting or serving in place of another. Often refers to replacement players in a sporting match or alternative ingredients in a recipe.


SIMPLE

The coach made two substitutes during the second half.

CONTEXTUAL

If you do not have fresh cream, there are several dairy-free substitutes available at the local supermarket.

COMPLEX

The manager's decision to bring on two attacking substitutes late in the game proved decisive, as their fresh energy overwhelmed the tiring defenders.

Synonyms
Usage

Commonly takes the preposition 'for' to indicate what is being replaced.

Pitfall

a substitute of sugara substitute for sugarThe noun substitute is almost always followed by the preposition 'for', not 'of'.

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