an artifact (or system of artifacts) that is instrumental in accomplishing some end
the quality of being instrumental for some purpose
a subsidiary organ of government created for a special purpose; "are the judicial instrumentalities of local governments adequate?"; "he studied the French instrumentalities for law enforcement"
direct one's interest or attention towards; go into; "The pedophile turned to boys for satisfaction"; "People turn to mysticism at the turn of a millennium"
a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another
an athlete who plays only when a starter on the team is replaced
put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items; "the con artist replaced the original with a fake Rembrandt"; "substitute regular milk with fat-free milk"
be a substitute; "The young teacher had to substitute for the sick colleague"; "The skim milk substitutes for cream--we are on a strict diet"
act as a substitute; "She stood in for the soprano who suffered from a cold"
an administrative unit of government; "the Central Intelligence Agency"; "the Census Bureau"; "Office of Management and Budget"; "Tennessee Valley Authority"
the state of being in action or exerting power; "the agency of providence"; "she has free agency"
think of, regard, or classify under a subsuming principle or with a general group or in relation to another; "This plant can be referred to a known species"
send or direct for treatment, information, or a decision; "refer a patient to a specialist"; "refer a bill to a committee"
have to do with or be relevant to; "There were lots of questions referring to her talk"; "My remark pertained to your earlier comments"