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Definition of "instead" []

  • In the place of something previously mentioned; as a substitute or an equivalent: Having planned to drive, we walked instead. (adverb)
  • In preference; as an alternative: yearned instead for a home and family. (adverb)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "instead" in a sentence
  • "Through my policy, which he arraigns, instead of the Thebans invading this country with Philip, as all expected, they joined our ranks and prevented him; —instead of the war being in Attica, it took place seven hundred furlongs from the city on the confines of Bœotia; —instead of corsair issuing from Eubœa to plunder us, Attica was in peace on the coast-side during the whole war; —instead of Philip being master of the Hellespont by taking Byzantium, the Byzantines were our auxiliaries against him Does this computation of services, think you, resemble the casting of accounts?"
  • "I’ll pipe in that sometimes when searching it’s less effective for results to use layman terms – instead of “high blood sugar” it’s easier to search for “hyperglycemia”….instead of “fat” use “lipids”…..instead of “high blood pressure” use “hypertension – since many of the journals are targeting medical and scientific readers used to the medicalese."
  • "Ms. Anderson said Chinese customers will buy a bottle of French Bordeaux because it had "Bordeaux" on the label instead of a comparable Australian wine."