surrogate

n. someone who takes the place of another person or does their job for a short time.

n. a person appointed to act for another; a proxy or substitute in a specific social or professional capacity.

“Since the director was ill, his assistant acted as a surrogate during the meeting.”

“In the absence of the primary negotiator, a surrogate was dispatched to finalize the preliminary terms of the treaty.”

Formal

n. a person, often a well-known politician, who speaks or campaigns for a leader.

n. a high-profile supporter or politician who campaigns on behalf of a presidential or major political candidate.

“The candidate sent several surrogates to speak at rallies across the state.”

“Campaign surrogates were deployed to late-night talk shows to defend the candidate's recent policy shift.”

American English

n. a specific type of judge who handles wills and the property of people who have died.

n. a judicial officer presiding over a court of probate, handling matters of wills, estates, and sometimes adoptions.

“The case was brought before the surrogate to settle the dispute over the inheritance.”

“The Surrogate's Court in New York handles the distribution of assets for individuals who die without a valid will.”

American English · Technical

adj. describing something that is used as a replacement for the real thing.

adj. functioning as a substitute or replacement for something else, often of a similar nature.

“The researchers used a surrogate measure to estimate the total population growth.”

“The study utilized surrogate markers for cardiovascular health when direct clinical outcomes were unavailable for the short-term trial.”

Formal

v. to put one person or thing in the place of another.

v. to appoint a successor or to substitute one entity for another.

“The committee decided to surrogate the old rules with a new set of guidelines.”

“The legal framework allows the board to surrogate a temporary chairperson should the incumbent become incapacitated.”

Formal