in place of, or as an alternative to; "Felix became a herpetologist instead"; "alternatively we could buy a used car"
Used in a Sentence
instead
How to use instead in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for instead.
Editorial note
Why should I be more comfortable letting Google back up my stuff instead of Dropbox?
Examples8
Definitions2
Parts of speech1
Quick take
in place of, or as an alternative to; "Felix became a herpetologist instead"; "alternatively we could buy a used car"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of instead gathered in one view.
on the contrary; "rather than disappoint the children, he did two quick tricks before he left"; "he didn't call; rather (or instead), he wrote her a letter"; "used English terms instead of Latin ones"
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for instead.
adverb
in place of, or as an alternative to; "Felix became a herpetologist instead"; "alternatively we could buy a used car"
See also: alternatively
adverb
on the contrary; "rather than disappoint the children, he did two quick tricks before he left"; "he didn't call; rather (or instead), he wrote her a letter"; "used English terms instead of Latin ones"
See also: rather
Example sentences
Why should I be more comfortable letting Google back up my stuff instead of Dropbox?
If you're good enough to do it you could AFK your way through any number of raids, pick one of them instead.
Craning her neck to stare at that stupid dim little screen instead of just looking around at the beautiful neighborhood I lived in.
Can we also skip the submissions asking people not to post things instead of just letting the community decide the same way it's been done for years?
A group of people will go out, and unanimously decide to prick and pinch and swipe their glass worship stones instead of having a fucking conversation or looking around them.
If Smalltalkers really believe their environment is the right way to code, their attitude should not be one of "we did this first, meh" but instead be "here's what we did right, here's what we did wrong.
They should look, instead, at how hiring is done at a consulting company or an investment bank, companies that are also reliant on skilled people as their most important asset.
"However, executives at Starz apparently concluded that they would lose even more money by giving consumers a reason to subscribe to Netflix instead of the cable channel.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use instead in a sentence?
Why should I be more comfortable letting Google back up my stuff instead of Dropbox?
What does instead mean?
in place of, or as an alternative to; "Felix became a herpetologist instead"; "alternatively we could buy a used car"
What part of speech is instead?
instead is commonly used as adverb.