Understudy

//ˈʌndɚstʌdi// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A performer who understudies; a standby for a study (9).

    "For Wynne-Edwards, the role of the outcasts in the welfare of the group is to wait in the wings as understudies, ready to step into the shoes of any territory holder who dies on the main stage of group reproduction."

  2. 2
    an actor able to replace a regular performer when required wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To study or know a role to such an extent as to be able to replace the normal performer when required.
  2. 2
    be an understudy or alternate for a role wordnet
  3. 3
    To act as an understudy (to someone).
  4. 4
    To act in a similar manner to some known person.

    "That lean gentleman had apparently understudied Pharaoh of old and hardened his heart."

Synonyms

All synonyms
standbyact foradvocateagentalter egoalternate

Example

More examples

"He had been Tom's understudy as vice-captain."

Etymology

From under- + study.

Related phrases

body doublestunt double

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.