stead

1 of 2

noun

1
: the office, place, or function ordinarily occupied or carried out by someone or something else
acted in his brother's stead
2
: advantage
used chiefly in the phrase to stand one in good stead
3
obsolete : locality, place

stead

2 of 2

verb

steaded; steading; steads

transitive verb

: to be of avail to : help

Examples of stead in a Sentence

Noun a summer internship will stand you in good stead when applying to college
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
In his stead, Morris Duggan got start Sunday; Devin Padelford received the start in RSL scrimmage. Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 9 Feb. 2025 Jason Carter, the former president's grandson, accepted the award in his stead. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 2 Feb. 2025 In his stead, Bischof is supposed to form a new midfield axis with top star Jamal Musiala and Aleksandar Pavlovic. Manuel Veth, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025 Since then, Minnesota has managed to record a 6-4-0 record in his stead but has now lost three of its last four. David Faris, Newsweek, 19 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for stead 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English stede, from Old English; akin to Old High German stat place, Old English standan to stand — more at stand

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stead was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near stead

Cite this Entry

“Stead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stead. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

stead

noun
ˈsted
1
: advantage sense 3, service
their knowledge of French stood them in good stead
2
: the place usually taken or duty carried out by the one mentioned
acted in the mayor's stead

More from Merriam-Webster on stead

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