subscribe
Americanverb (used with object)
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subscribes,
present (3rd person singular)
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subscribed,
past participle, past
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subscribing
present participle
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to pledge, as by signing an agreement, to give or pay (a sum of money) as a contribution, gift, or investment.
He subscribed $6,000 for the new church.
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to give or pay in fulfillment of such a pledge.
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to append one's signature or mark to (a document), as in approval or attestation of its contents.
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to attest by or as by signing.
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to append, as one's signature, at the bottom of a document or the like; sign.
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to agree or assent to.
verb (used without object)
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subscribes,
present (3rd person singular)
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subscribed,
past participle, past
-
subscribing
present participle
-
to pledge, as by signing an agreement, to give or pay money as a contribution, gift, or investment.
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to give or pay money in fulfillment of such a pledge.
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to obtain or have a subscription to a publication, concert series, service, etc..
She subscribes to two food magazines.
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to give one's consent; sanction.
I will not subscribe to popular fallacies.
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to sign one's name to a document.
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to give approval to the contents of a document by signing one's name.
verb
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(usually foll by to) to pay or promise to pay (a sum of money) as a contribution (to a fund or charity, for a magazine, etc), esp at regular intervals
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to inscribe or sign (one's name, etc) at the end of a contract, will, or other document
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to give support or approval
to subscribe to the theory of transubstantiation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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subscribernoun
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subscribershipnoun
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presubscribeverb
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resubscribeverb
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nonsubscribingadjective
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subscribableadjective
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unsubscribedadjective
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unsubscribingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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subscribesimple
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subscribessimple
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have subscribedperfect
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has subscribedperfect
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am subscribingprogressive
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are subscribingprogressive
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is subscribingprogressive
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have been subscribingperfect progressive
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has been subscribingperfect progressive
Past
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subscribedsimple
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had subscribedperfect
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was subscribingprogressive
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were subscribingprogressive
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had been subscribingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of subscribe
1375–1425; late Middle English subscriben < Latin subscrībere, equivalent to sub- sub- + scrībere to write
Explanation
If you subscribe to something, you sign up to receive it regularly. If you subscribe to the New York Times, it's delivered to your door every morning or you get online access. When you subscribe to a belief, you adopt it as your own. You might subscribe to the notion that children should be seen and not heard, or you might wholeheartedly subscribe to your town's proposal to save the wetlands. A less common use of subscribe is to sign your name on something, reflecting the origin of the word, which comes from the Latin subscribere, "to write below," that is, to sign at the bottom of a document.
Vocabulary lists containing subscribe
Latin Root "sub" Words
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Latin Love: Scribere: To write (scrib, scrip)
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The Taming of the Shrew
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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.
See Examples For:
The Wall Street Journal has reported that trading companies were among the first to subscribe to the service.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Altman initially staked the growth of the business on ChatGPT, betting that more people would subscribe to the chatbot as AI became a bigger part of their lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
Or, you can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
Meta says those who hit the "free monthly usage limit" will have to wait for their free hours to refresh each calendar month unless they subscribe.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Even families making less than $30,000 a year subscribe to the American dream; more than half say they have achieved it or will do so.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Evidently, Christine Lagarde, Europe’s top central banker, subscribes to Keynes’s wisdom.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
Which my husband subscribes to, and sees automatically in his calendar app.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
The average U.S. household now subscribes to four streaming services, paying an average of $69 per month, according to a recent digital-media report from Deloitte.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 2, 2026
While Keridan cut Disney+, her family still subscribes to YouTube Premium and Paramount+.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025
My mom generally subscribes to the more positive, optimistic school of thought, and my dad believes the doomsayers are underplaying the truth.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
For years, De Salvo, an elementary-school teacher who lives in Dana Point, Calif., subscribed to a regional sports network to watch his beloved Los Angeles Dodgers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Currently, the California Energy Commission handles the highly subscribed, state-funded program, which serves Californians in every legislative district.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
"But would you rather have clean air and lower electricity bills or Cocomelon for adults?" she joked, referring to the animated children's channel that is among YouTube's most subscribed.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
I’ve subscribed to BrainHQ — it will cost me about $100 a year — and I will see how it goes.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 11, 2026
Because racism never made sense to my father, he never subscribed to any of the rules of apartheid.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Saavedra pleaded guilty last year, in February, to conspiracy against rights and making and subscribing to a false tax return.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
MrBeast is arguably the world's most successful YouTuber with half a billion subscribing to his mix of challenges, stunts and charity.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Over the past four weeks of subscribing to Good Inside, I’ve taken this approach more.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
Are you subscribing to any streaming services you’re not using or ordering in more food than you realize?
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 27, 2026
“I’m guessing you saw the latest vlog and you’re not too impressed. Whereas I’m impressed you’re actually subscribing to me. See, I see you in my channel’s new subscribers list from yesterday: janjan123,” Sausun says.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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.
