as in substitutes
a person or thing that fulfills the role of someone or something else
The children's aunt acted as a surrogate for their late mother.
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Recent Examples of surrogates
From a certain perspective, the surrogates had been robbed of the value of their gift.
—
Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Known as StellFoundry, the new project focuses on replacing lengthy calculations in the design process with types of digital models, or surrogates, that provide rough calculation estimates.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026
While some of its surrogates, such as Hezbollah, have been significantly weakened by Israel over the past two years, others remain heavily armed.
—Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
Her father, Arthur Liu, was a single dad to five kids, all born with the help of surrogates.
—Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
When pregnancies don't go as planned and medical costs mount, women who sign on as surrogates can be left owing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Several former Surro Connections employees have been working to connect clients and surrogates to other agencies and organizations, which have in turn stepped up to help, with some offering pro bono services.
—Alexandra Chaidez, NBC news, 18 Dec. 2025
Cuban was one of the most visible campaign surrogates, especially from the business world, traversing the country and promoting Harris’s economic proposals.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 13 Dec. 2024
The governor dispatched surrogates by helicopter to deliver news to some Democrats that their services were no longer needed.
—Christopher Cooper / Made By History, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Known as StellFoundry, the new project focuses on replacing lengthy calculations in the design process with types of digital models, or surrogates, that provide rough calculation estimates.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026
While some of its surrogates, such as Hezbollah, have been significantly weakened by Israel over the past two years, others remain heavily armed.
—Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
Her father, Arthur Liu, was a single dad to five kids, all born with the help of surrogates.
—Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
When pregnancies don't go as planned and medical costs mount, women who sign on as surrogates can be left owing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Several former Surro Connections employees have been working to connect clients and surrogates to other agencies and organizations, which have in turn stepped up to help, with some offering pro bono services.
—Alexandra Chaidez, NBC news, 18 Dec. 2025
Cuban was one of the most visible campaign surrogates, especially from the business world, traversing the country and promoting Harris’s economic proposals.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 13 Dec. 2024
The governor dispatched surrogates by helicopter to deliver news to some Democrats that their services were no longer needed.
—Christopher Cooper / Made By History, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrogates
Noun
-
As Chelsea’s staff and substitutes spilled onto the pitch to shake hands and celebrate their 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cole Palmer seemed distracted — turning around, clearly looking for something.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
-
If not, the market would be expanded to include nearby substitutes, with the test repeated until a profitable price hike is achieved.—
Hal Singer,
Fortune,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The results point to a future where things like knee braces, exoskeletons, or even joint replacements could be tailored to an individual’s exact joint motion.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
-
As 2026 approaches, more executives are beginning to explore similar forms of digital assistance, not as replacements for human judgment, but as extensions of it.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Last month, the company begun soliciting proxies to challenge Warner’s agreement with Netflix.—
Wyatte Grantham-Philips,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
-
However, trial creators, researchers, and proxies have thought through how those experiences could shape expectations, study design, and clinical decisions.—
Ian Reardon,
STAT,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surrogates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrogates. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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