to use something or someone instead of another thing or person

You can substitute oil for butter (= use oil instead of butter) in this recipe. 这道菜中你可以用食用油代替黄油。

You can substitute the wheat flour with almond flour (= use almond flour instead of wheat flour).

He made his film debut when he was substituted for the actor who was originally cast.

I took out the words "he" and "his" and substituted them with "they" and "their".

to perform the same job as another thing or person or to take their place

Gas-fired power stations will substitute for less efficient coal-fired equipment. 以煤气为燃料的发电站将会代替效率较低的燃煤装置。

The soprano first appeared on stage when she substituted for someone who was ill.

a thing or person that is used instead of another thing or person

Tofu can be used as a meat substitute in vegetarian recipes. 素食菜谱中豆腐可用以替代肉类。

Vitamins should not be used as a substitute for a healthy diet. 维生素不应用于替代健康饮食。

in sports, a player who is used for part of a game instead of another player

Johnson came on as a substitute towards the end of the game. 约翰逊在比赛接近尾声时作为替补队员上场。

The manager brought on another substitute in the final minutes of the game. 比赛还剩下最后几分钟时，主教练又换上了一位替补队员。

nothing is as good as the stated thing

You can read about other countries, but there's no substitute for visiting them yourself. 你可以阅读有关其他国家的信息，但是什么也代替不了亲自到访体验。

a substitute teacher