subject

American  

[suhb-jikt, suhb-jekt] / ˈsʌb dʒɪkt, səbˈdʒɛkt /

noun

• subjects
  plural

1. that which forms a basic matter of thought, discussion, investigation, etc..

   a subject of conversation.

2. a branch of knowledge as a course of study.

   He studied four subjects in his first year at college.

3. a motive, cause, or ground.

   a subject for complaint.

   Synonyms:

   rationale, reason

4. the theme of a sermon, book, story, etc.

5. the principal melodic motif or phrase in a musical composition, especially in a fugue.

6. an object, scene, incident, etc., chosen by an artist for representation, or as represented in art.

7. a person who is under the dominion or rule of a sovereign.

8. a person who owes allegiance to a government and lives under its protection.

   Swedish subjects are guaranteed access to equal education in childhood.

9. Grammar. (in many languages, such as English) one of the two main parts of a sentence, containing a noun or pronoun and all of its modifiers, which generally refers to the one performing an action, experiencing a condition, or being in a state expressed by a verb: for example, Our best employee in Our best employee gave notice, or He in He is still here.

10. a person or thing that undergoes or may undergo some action.

    As a dissenter, he found himself the subject of the group's animosity.

11. a person or thing under the control or influence of another.

12. a person as an object of medical, surgical, or psychological treatment or experiment.

13. a cadaver used for dissection.

14. Logic. that term of a proposition concerning which the predicate is affirmed or denied.

15. Philosophy.

    1. that which thinks, feels, perceives, intends, etc., as contrasted with the objects of thought, feeling, etc.

    2. the self or ego.

16. Metaphysics. that in which qualities or attributes inhere; substance.

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adjective

1. being under domination, control, or influence (often followed byto ).

   Synonyms:

   subservient, subordinate

2. being under dominion, rule, or authority, as of a sovereign, state, or some governing power; owing allegiance or obedience (often followed byto ).

3. open or exposed (usually followed byto ).

   subject to ridicule.

4. being dependent or conditional upon something (usually followed byto ).

   His consent is subject to your approval.

   Synonyms:

   contingent

5. being under the necessity of undergoing something (usually followed byto ).

   All beings are subject to death.

6. liable; prone (usually followed byto ).

   subject to headaches.

verb (used with object)

• subjects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• subjected,
  past participle,  past
• subjecting
  present participle

1. to bring under domination, control, or influence (usually followed byto ).

2. to bring under dominion, rule, or authority, as of a conqueror or a governing power (usually followed byto ).

3. to cause to undergo the action of something specified; expose (usually followed byto ).

   to subject metal to intense heat.

4. to make liable or vulnerable; lay open; expose (usually followed byto ).

   to subject oneself to ridicule.

5. Obsolete. to place beneath something; make subjacent.

subject British  

noun

1. 1. the predominant theme or topic, as of a book, discussion, etc

   2. ( in combination )

      subject-heading

2. any branch of learning considered as a course of study

3. grammar logic a word, phrase, or formal expression about which something is predicated or stated in a sentence; for example, the cat in the sentence The cat catches mice

4. a person or thing that undergoes experiment, analysis, treatment, etc

5. a person who lives under the rule of a monarch, government, etc

6. an object, figure, scene, etc, as selected by an artist or photographer for representation

7. philosophy

   1. that which thinks or feels as opposed to the object of thinking and feeling; the self or the mind

   2. a substance as opposed to its attributes

8. Also called: theme. music a melodic or thematic phrase used as the principal motif of a fugue, the basis from which the musical material is derived in a sonata-form movement, or the recurrent figure in a rondo

9. logic

   1. the term of a categorial statement of which something is predicated

   2. the reference or denotation of the subject term of a statement. The subject of John is tall is not the name John, but John himself

10. an originating motive

11. to select a new topic of conversation

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adjective

1. being under the power or sovereignty of a ruler, government, etc

   subject peoples

2. showing a tendency (towards)

   a child subject to indiscipline

3. exposed or vulnerable

   subject to ribaldry

4. conditional upon

   the results are subject to correction

adverb

1. (preposition) under the condition that

   we accept, subject to her agreement

verb

1. (foll by to) to cause to undergo the application (of)

   they subjected him to torture

2. to expose or render vulnerable or liable (to some experience)

   he was subjected to great danger

3. (foll by to) to bring under the control or authority (of)

   to subject a soldier to discipline

4. rare to subdue or subjugate

5. rare to present for consideration; submit

6. obsolete to place below

subject Cultural  

1. A part of every sentence. The subject tells what the sentence is about; it contains the main noun or noun phrase: “The car crashed into the railing”; “Judy and two of her friends were elected to the National Honor Society.” In some cases the subject is implied: you is the implied subject in “Get me some orange juice.” (Compare predicate.)

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subject Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing subject

• change the subject

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Synonym Usage

Subject, theme, topic are often interchangeable to express the material being considered in a speech or written composition. Subject is a broad word for whatever is treated in writing, speech, art, etc.: the subject for discussion. Theme and topic are usually narrower and apply to some limited or specific part of a general subject. A theme is often the underlying conception of a discourse or composition, perhaps not put into words but easily recognizable: The theme of a need for reform runs throughout her work. A topic is the statement of what is to be treated in a section of a composition: The topic is treated fully in this section.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsubject
  noun
• subjectability
  noun
• presubject
  verb (used with object)
• resubject
  verb (used with object)
• subject-like
  adjective
• subjectable
  adjective
• subjectless
  adjective
• subjectlike
  adjective
• unsubject
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• subjects
  plural

Participles

• subjecting
  present
• subjected
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• subject
  simple
• subjects
  simple
• have subjected
  perfect
• has subjected
  perfect
• am subjecting
  progressive
• are subjecting
  progressive
• is subjecting
  progressive
• have been subjecting
  perfect progressive
• has been subjecting
  perfect progressive

Past

• subjected
  simple
• had subjected
  perfect
• was subjecting
  progressive
• were subjecting
  progressive
• had been subjecting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will subject
  simple
• will have subjected
  perfect
• will be subjecting
  progressive
• will have been subjecting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of subject

First recorded in 1275–1325; (adjective) from Latin subjectus “placed beneath, inferior, open to inspection,” originally the past participle of subicere “to throw or place beneath, make subject,” replacing Middle English suget, from Old French; (noun) from Late Latin subjectum “grammatical or dialectical subject,” replacing Middle English suget, as above; (verb) from Latin subjectāre, frequentative of subicere

Explanation

Subject can mean "topic," as in "Let's change the subject." It can also mean "to make someone do something," as in "Don't let your dad subject you to an hour-long lecture on fishing." It can also mean everyone in a country who is not the ruler, as in "The king greeted his subjects when he returned from abroad." A subject could be a broad branch of knowledge, like Biology, or a very narrow focus, like the effects of drought on avocados. If you are painting a portrait, the person posing for you is your subject. Subject can also mean beholden, or subordinate. If you are traveling in England, but not an English subject, or citizen, then you are still subject to English law.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

subject subjects subjected subjecting

Differences between the two nations are "a subject of ongoing discussions", the foreign ministry official said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Up to 50% or as much as 85% of your Social Security benefits may be subject to federal income tax.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

This topic has become a subject for conversation in recent days following an interview Horner did with the Times, external as he promotes his new book.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

In July, they received letters notifying that their New York City residences would be subject to the pied-à-terre tax.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

I changed the subject, and then me and Lloyd voiced our hopes that they’d shut down Hominy Ridge School.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Government and social studies and Texas history were my favorite subjects.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

Karl van Bibber, a Berkeley professor of nuclear engineering, served as Seiler's informal adviser on subjects ranging from X-ray imaging to scientific publishing.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

Blending Yoruba, Catholic and mystical traditions, their photos feature jet-black subjects that blend into inky backgrounds, their eyes piercing the darkness as they stare at the viewer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Since the law’s voter-approved repeal, students receiving bilingual instruction have demonstrated higher academic achievement across subjects and higher rates of English proficiency compared with students who received instruction in English only, Garcia Bedolla said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

“I’ve been reviewing portions of last year’s exam with him. As I told you, sir, he’s doing exceptionally well in all the subjects but math.”

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

In promoting the program, Florida said that it was intended for people who had “been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias within American society.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Pyrobitumen is an insoluble form of organic carbon that develops when buried crude oil or kerogen -- a source material for natural gas -- is subjected to intense heating deep below the surface.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

They spoke out after the BBC revealed that more than 260 people had been subjected to the discredited treatment at NHS hospitals in the 1960s and 1970s.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

But it’s going to take a while for the rest of us to fully grasp the heinousness of the duplicity to which we were unwittingly subjected throughout many stages of our lives.

From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2018

I have my old cracked phone out, my hack allowing me to track down the other Phoenix Riders without being subjected to the new NeuroLink algorithm.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

It was an eye-catching conjecture: one of the most revered of the Founding Fathers subjecting people held against their will to possibly painful shocks.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026

The FTC’s “Made in USA” Labeling Rule went into effect in 2021, subjecting marketers for the first time to potential civil penalties for inaccurately labeling their products as domestically manufactured.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Those doubling down, however, are subjecting themselves to public wrath.

From Slate ● Jun. 1, 2026

"In addition to subjecting vulnerable children and young people to a dehumanising process that undermines their human rights, we don't actually know if facial age estimation works."

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

“By cutting education,” she asked, “aren’t we subjecting our kids to the same fate that we’re all living right now?”

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Related Words

• affair
• business
• case
• course
• discussion
• idea
• item
• material
• object
• point
• problem
• proposal
• question
• study
• subject matter
• substance
• theme
• thought
• topic