Instead of
Example: She drank tea instead of coffee this morning.
Definition
"Instead of" is a phrase used to indicate a substitution or alternative, meaning one thing is chosen or done as a replacement for another. For example, in the sentence 'She drank tea instead of coffee,' tea is chosen as an alternative to coffee.
Etymology
The phrase "instead of" originates from Middle English, combining 'in stead' meaning 'in place' with 'of' indicating substitution. It essentially means 'in the place of.' Did you know? The word 'stead' used to be more common in everyday speech, but now 'instead of' is the usual form to express alternatives.
Learn to use this expression actively
"Instead of" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (A2) - set 1", containing 104 commonly used expressions.
Would you like to not only understand these expressions, but also remember them and use them actively? Create a free account and select English as the language you want to learn.
Create a free account
