instead

In the place of something (usually mentioned earlier); as a substitute or alternative.

Adverb

  1. In the place of something (usually mentioned earlier); as a substitute or alternative.
    • I was going to go shopping, but I went dancing instead.
    • ‘It's rather like a beautiful Inverness cloak one has inherited. Much too good to hide away, so one wears it instead of an overcoat and pretends it's an amusing new fashion.’ - 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, in The...
    • Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […]. Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […] But the scandals kept coming, […]. A broad section of...

Origin

From in + stead, from Middle English ine (“in”) + stede (“stead”). Related to German statt.

Forms

enstead in steed in stead 'nstead

Synonyms

in lieu

Derived

instead of