surrogate

1 of 2

noun

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

: surrogate mother

3

: one that serves as a substitute

surrogate

2 of 2

verb

sur·​ro·​gate ˈsər-ə-ˌgāt 

ˈsə-rə-

surrogated; surrogating

transitive verb

: to put in the place of another:

a

: to appoint as successor, deputy, or substitute for oneself

b

: substitute

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

Noun

However, the dynamic visual representation and the sheer volume of subjects have kept the illustrations perpetually a part of the discourse on Victorian urban life, often recuperated as visual surrogates of Charles Dickens’s texts. —Sarah C. Schaefer, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025

Will Trump’s presidential run upend Miami-Dade politics after November? U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, whose son, C.J. Gimenez and daughter-in-law, Cruz-Gimenez, are running the Cordero-Stutz campaign, is a leading Trump surrogate from Miami with a chance for a Cabinet post in a second Trump term. —Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2025

The couple welcomed their daughter María Lucía Victoria via surrogate on Feb. 25, 2021, and their most recent addition to the family, daughter Ilaria Catalina Irena, came into the world on Sept. 22, 2022. —Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025

He’s also become a major media surrogate for Trump, talking to various big news outlets about why so many Silicon Valley Democrats switched sides. —Joe Walsh, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin surrogatus, past participle of surrogare to choose in place of another, substitute, from sub- + rogare to ask — more at right

First Known Use

Noun

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1533, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing surrogate

• surrogate mother

Kids Definition

surrogate

noun

sur·​ro·​gate

ˈsər-ə-ˌgāt,

ˈsə-rə-,

-gət

1

: one appointed to act in place of another : deputy

2

: a court officer in some states who handles the settling of wills

Medical 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

: surrogate mother

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