Instead Definition & Meaning

Home » How Do You Spell Instead » Instead Definition & Meaning

Maybe your like

  • American
  • British
  • Etymology
  • Examples
    • Synonyms instead American [in-sted] / ɪnˈstɛd /

    adverb

    1. as a substitute or replacement; in the place or stead of someone or something.

      We ordered tea but were served coffee instead.

    2. in preference; as a preferred or accepted alternative.

      The city has its pleasures, but she wished instead for the quiet of country life.

    idioms

    1. instead of, in place of; in lieu of.

      You can use milk instead of cream in this recipe.

    instead British / ɪnˈstɛd /

    adverb

    1. as a replacement, substitute, or alternative

    2. (preposition) in place of or as an alternative to

    "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

    Etymology

    Origin of instead

    First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; originally phrase in stead “in place”

    Example Sentences

    Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

    In one episode, you choose to cover a brick wall instead of tearing it down and building a new one.

    From Los Angeles Times

    If the Chargers protect the ball and finish drives instead of settling for field goals, they can keep Houston from dictating the tempo.

    From Los Angeles Times

    He said that instead of hiding his disability from the children the couple care for, he had been open with them and used it as a way of teaching an important life lesson.

    From BBC

    Some engineers say the future isn’t in replicating the human shape but in improving on it, with four hands instead of two, or suction grippers instead of fingers.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    Not every present is greeted with delight - so instead of banishing them to the back of a cupboard, how can you get rid of them without causing offence?

    From BBC

    Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

    Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

    Tag » How Do You Spell Instead