sur·ro·gate
ˈsər-ə-gət 
ˈsə-rə-,
-ˌgāt
often attributive
1
a
: one appointed to act in place of another : deputy
b
: a local judicial officer in some states (such as New York) who has jurisdiction over the probate of wills, the settlement of estates, and the appointment and supervision of guardians
2
3
: one that serves as a substitute
sur·ro·gate
ˈsər-ə-ˌgāt
ˈsə-rə-
surrogated; surrogating
: to put in the place of another:
a
: to appoint as successor, deputy, or substitute for oneself
b
Examples of surrogate in a Sentence
Noun
He could not attend the meeting, so he sent his surrogate.
The governor and her surrogates asked the public to support the change.
They had their baby through a surrogate.
Recent Examples on the Web
William Gavin, Quartz, 19 Nov. 2024
Cuban became a frequent Harris surrogate on cable news and on the stump.
—Kyle Khan-Mullins, Forbes, 7 Nov. 2024
Kelly was a top Harris campaign surrogate in Arizona and in the national media.
—Stephanie Murray, The Arizona Republic, 6 Nov. 2024
In the last few months, Musk was Trump’s most aggressive surrogate.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for surrogate 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Musk became a major donor and surrogate for Trump during the 2024 election, spending at least $120 million of his own cash and leading a super PAC.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 19 Nov. 2024
Cuban became a frequent Harris surrogate on cable news and on the stump.
—Kyle Khan-Mullins, Forbes, 7 Nov. 2024
Kelly was a top Harris campaign surrogate in Arizona and in the national media.
—Stephanie Murray, The Arizona Republic, 6 Nov. 2024
In the last few months, Musk was Trump’s most aggressive surrogate.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for surrogate
Dictionary Entries Near surrogate
Cite this Entry
“Surrogate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surrogate. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
surrogate
noun
sur·ro·gate
-gət, -ˌgāt
: one that serves as a substitute: as
a
: a representation of a person substituted through symbolizing (as in a dream) for conscious recognition of the person
b
: a drug substituted for another drug
c
Legal Definition
surrogate
noun
sur·ro·gate
ˈsər-ə-gət
1
: one acting in the place of another
especially
: one standing in loco parentis to a child
2
often capitalized
: the judge or judicial officer of a Surrogate's Court or Surrogate's office
surrogate
adjective
Etymology
Noun
Latin surrogatus, past participle of surrogare, subrogare to substitute, from sub- in place of, under + rogare to ask
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share