subdue
Americanverb (used with object)
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to conquer and bring into subjection.
Rome subdued Gaul.
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to overpower by superior force; overcome.
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to bring under mental or emotional control, as by persuasion or intimidation; render submissive.
- Synonyms:
- suppress, discipline, break, tame
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to repress (feelings, impulses, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- suppress
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to bring (land) under cultivation.
to subdue the wilderness.
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to reduce the intensity, force, or vividness of (sound, light, color, etc.); tone down; soften.
- Antonyms:
- intensify
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to allay (inflammation, infection, etc.).
verb
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to establish ascendancy over by force
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to overcome and bring under control, as by intimidation or persuasion
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to hold in check or repress (feelings, emotions, etc)
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to render less intense or less conspicuous
Synonym Usage
See defeat.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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presubdueverb (used with object)
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subdualnoun
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subduablenessnoun
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subduinglyadverb
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subduablyadverb
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unsubduableadjective
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subduableadjective
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subduernoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have subduedperfect
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am subduingprogressive 1st person singular
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has subduedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been subduingperfect progressive
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has been subduingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is subduingprogressive 3rd person singular
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subduessingular 3rd person
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subduingparticiple
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are subduingprogressive
Past
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had subduedperfect
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was subduingprogressive singular
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were subduingprogressive plural
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subduedparticiple
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had been subduingperfect progressive
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subduedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of subdue
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English so(b)duen, so(b)dewen, from unattested Anglo-French soduer “to overcome,” from Old French soduire “to deceive, seduce,” from Latin subdūcere “to withdraw”; meaning in English (and Anglo-French ) from Latin subdere “to place beneath, subdue”; see subduct
Explanation
To subdue is to hold back, put down, or defeat. A Doberman can be subdued with a bone, but subduing a yapping toy poodle can be a mail carrier's greatest daily challenge. You can use the verb subdue in ways ranging from subtle to very forceful. If someone is angry, you might subdue him with kind words that overcome his anger. If someone is coming at you with a giant karate chop, you may be able to subdue her with a secret weapon — a knee-snap–heel-kick-floor-drop. Sub-, as in submarine means "below" and subdue means to bring low — to keep down literally or to calm down emotionally.
Vocabulary lists containing subdue
Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman?" (1863)
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100 SAT words Beginning with "S"
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"Common Sense," Vocabulary from the pamphlet
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Assassination attempts can also warp how journalists cover a president’s opposition, and subdue how that opposition behaves.
From Slate • Apr. 26, 2026
The land wasn’t empty, and Native American tribes fought fiercely to defend it in alliance with the British, leading Washington to dispatch multiple punitive expeditions to subdue them and exert American control.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Their bite, which injects toxins, is executed for two reasons: to subdue their prey and to defend themselves, according to the California Poison Control System.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026
The Norman invasion of 1066 saw King Edward I of England subdue Wales, leading to the establishment of the title of Prince of Wales in 1284.
From BBC • Dec. 7, 2025
No amount of anger or rage directed at others can subdue it, because guilt is never about them.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
