submarine

American  

[suhb-muh-reen, suhb-muh-reen, suhb-muh-reen] / ˌsʌb məˈrin, ˈsʌb məˌrin, ˌsʌb məˈrin /

noun

1. a vessel that can be submerged and navigated under water, usually built for warfare and armed with torpedoes or guided missiles.

2. something situated or living under the surface of the sea, as a plant or animal.

3. Chiefly Northeastern and North Midland U.S. a hero sandwich.

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adjective

1. situated, occurring, operating, or living under the surface of the sea.

   a submarine mountain.

2. of, relating to, or carried on by a submarine or submarines.

   submarine warfare.

verb (used without object)

submarined, submarining

1. to participate in the operating of a submarine.

2. to move or slide under something.

3. Slang.

   1. to be thrown under the steering wheel of the vehicle one is driving during a frontal crash.

   2. to be thrown out of one's seat belt in such a crash.

verb (used with object)

submarined, submarining

1. to attack or sink by submarine.

submarine British  

/ ˈsʌbməˌriːn, ˌsʌbməˈriːn /

noun

1. Often shortened to: sub.  a vessel, esp one designed for warfare, capable of operating for protracted periods below the surface of the sea

2. (modifier)

   1. of or relating to a submarine

      a submarine captain

   2. occurring or situated below the surface of the sea

      a submarine cable

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Regionalisms

See hero sandwich.

Other Word Forms

• antisubmarine adjective

Etymology

Origin of submarine

1640–50; 1895–1900 submarine for def. 1; sub- + marine

Example Sentences

The Security Service of Ukraine, the SBU, said that it had “effectively disabled” a Russian submarine in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.

From The Wall Street Journal

This shift comes as the US has deployed air and naval forces - including a nuclear-powered submarine, spy planes and 15,000 troops - to the Caribbean.

From BBC

The Royal Navy this week said that it had tracked a Russian submarine through the English Channel, the latest in a series of instances of Russian naval activity in UK waters.

From BBC

The navy continued to shadow the Russian submarine and its tugboat until it approached the north-west of France, at which point tracking of it was handed over to a Nato ally.

From BBC

Navy earlier this week said it awarded Palantir a contract valued at hundreds of millions of dollars to manage the supply chain of its nuclear submarine fleet.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• sub
• torpedo