in one's stead

/ɪn wʌns ˈstɛd/

in one's stead prepositional phrase: as a successor to someone or something.

Prepositional phrase

(formal, literary) As a successor to someone or something.
- Then the people of the land tooke Jehoahaz the ſon of Joſiah, and made him King in his fathers ſtead in Ieruſalem.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Chronicles 36:1, column 2
(formal, literary) Instead of or rather than someone or something.
- Bleſſed Lord [Jesus], they crucifie thee for all thy good vvorks: if thou hadſt been guilty, poſſibly thou mighteſt have been ſpared in the stead of Barabbas; […]1676, [Matthew Hale], “Of the Knowledge of Christ Crucified”, in Contemplations Moral and Divine. […], London: […] William Godbid, for William Shrowsbury […], and John Leigh […], →OCLC, page 229
- [W]henever any vvord doth not fully content us, vve take upon us to conclude, firſt that the author could never have us'd it, and ſecondly, that he muſt have uſed that very one vvhich vve conjecture, in its ſtead.1729, [Alexander Pope], “Book the Second”, in The Dunciad. With Notes Variorum, and the Prolegomena of Scriblerus, London: […] Lawton Gilliver […], →OCLC, page 88
Synonyms:

in lieu of
(archaic, formal, literary) As a person's deputy or representative.
- Thẽ [then] Iaakobs angre vvas kindeled againſt Rahél, and he ſaid, Am I in Gods ſtede, vvhich hathe vvithholden frõ [from] thee the frute of the vvombe?1560, [William Whittingham et al., transl.], The Bible and Holy Scriptures Conteyned in the Olde and Newe Testament. […] (the Geneva Bible), Geneva: […] Rouland Hall, →OCLC, Genesis XXX:2, folio 13...
Synonyms:

in lieu of
(formal, literary, obsolete) As replacement for someone or something in a physical place.
- Didſt thou [Jesus] not chooſe even that vvhich thou novv groaneſt under; and vvert vvilling to put thy Soul in our Souls ſtead, and bear the ſin of thoſe vvhich are novv thy burden?1676, [Matthew Hale], “Of the Knowledge of Christ Crucified”, in Contemplations Moral and Divine. […], London: […] William Godbid, for William Shrowsbury […], and John Leigh […], →OCLC, page 213
- Examined after her own fashion, Zarah confirmed the tale of Christian in all its points, and admitted that she had deranged the project laid for a mask, by placing the dwarf in her own stead; […]1822, [Walter Scott], chapter XIII, in Peveril of the Peak. […], volume IV, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 310

in one's stead meaning in Vietnamese

in one's stead in Vietnamese

instead of or rather than someone or something: giùm, hộ

Synonyms of in one's stead

in lieu of

Forms of in one's stead

alternative form	in the stead of (one)

Origin of in one's stead

From Middle English in ones stede, equivalent to in + one’s + stead (“function or position of someone or something, as taken on by a successor; (obsolete) place, spot”).

Words that rhyme with in one's stead

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about in one's stead

What does in one's stead mean?: In one's stead means as a successor to someone or something.
What is in one's stead in Vietnamese?: In one's stead in Vietnamese is giùm, hộ. See In one's stead meaning in Vietnamese.
What part of speech is in one's stead?: In one's stead is a prepositional phrase.
How do you pronounce in one's stead?: In one's stead is pronounced /ɪn wʌns ˈstɛd/ (UK).

Words near in one's stead in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: in one's stead (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-in one's stead.wav.

Cite this entry: “in one's stead.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/in_one%27s_stead. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.