in substance

in substance idiom
  1. In reality, essentially, as in The Archbishop of Salzburg was in substance a temporal authority as well. [Late 1300s]
  2. In essence, basically, as in I don't remember all the details, but in substance this was the plan. [Late 1400s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Comments


Do you have more to add? Sign in to share your linguistic knowledge or observation.

Connect with Facebook