instead of

preposition

in·​stead of in-ˈste-də(v) 

-ˈsti-

: in place of : as a substitute for or alternative to

chose tea instead of coffee

Examples of instead of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Other signs include asking for food at times of day that they are never normally fed instead of their usual feeding times; sleeping at odd times of the day, and looking for humans to return home (from work or school) at the wrong time of day. —Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025

Sweeney posted the flight path that Trump’s plane took from Southern Florida to Texas in November ahead of a SpaceX launch, which for a while hugged the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico instead of tracing a straight line over the body of water. —Andrew Perez, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2025

Sometimes, platforms allow non-accredited investors to contribute small amounts of money to campaigns, usually in exchange for free merchandise or other perks instead of equity. —Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2025

Stop sending work emails past a particular hour, log off social media, and lean into nature instead of screens. —Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English in sted of

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for instead of

• above
• foxglove
• hereof
• thereof
• whereof
• dove
• glove
• love
• shove
• hereinabove

Kids Definition

instead of

preposition

in-ˌsted-ə(v),

-ˌstid-

: in place of : as a substitute for

had milk instead of juice