verb
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to aid or support with a subsidy
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to obtain the aid of by means of a subsidy
Usage
What does subsidize mean? To subsidize is to grant a subsidy—a direct payment made by a government to a company or other organization as a form of assistance.The process of subsidizing is subsidization. Governments often subsidize particular industries, such as through granting farm subsidies. The word subsidy is most commonly used to refer to such payments.More generally, subsidy can refer to any grant or monetary contribution. More specifically, it can refer to a payment made by one government to another for a particular service, often according to a treaty.Less commonly, the word subsidize can mean to gain someone’s cooperation through bribery.Subsidize is sometimes spelled subsidise (especially in British English).Example: The government is subsidizing my company to help expedite the manufacturing of healthcare products.
Other Word Forms
- desubsidization noun
- desubsidize verb (used with object)
- nonsubsidized adjective
- subsidizable adjective
- subsidization noun
- subsidizer noun
- unsubsidized adjective
Etymology
Origin of subsidize
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.
States typically receive federal funding that they match and then give to subsidize individual children’s care at child care centers.
From Salon • Mar. 20, 2026
“Risk-based pricing ensures low-risk policyholders don’t subsidize high-risk policyholders,” said Mark Friedlander, senior director of media relations for the Insurance Information Institute, a nonprofit supported by the property and casualty industry.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026
Student fees and university funds subsidize intercollegiate sports; those two sources comprised 87% of Sacramento State’s 2024 athletic budget, according to Knight Center data.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
The agreement, first announced in October, ensures revenue from Oracle “cover the costs associated with powering the data center, so DTE’s existing customers will not subsidize data-center rates,” DTE said in a release Tuesday.
From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026
It doesn’t include the billions the government spends to subsidize corn.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
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.
