subtitle

American  

[suhb-tahyt-l] / ˈsʌbˌtaɪt l /

noun

1. a secondary or subordinate title of a literary work, usually of explanatory character.

2. a repetition of the leading words in the full title of a book at the head of the first page of text.

3. Movies, Television, Digital Technology.

   1. a translation or transcription of spoken language in a television program, film, video, or video game, as of dialogue in a foreign language or speech that is audible but may not be easily understood, displayed as a graphic overlay on the lower part of the screen.

   2. caption.

   3. (in silent films) an intertitle or caption.

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verb (used with object)

subtitled, subtitling

1. to supply a subtitle or subtitles for.

subtitle British  

/ ˈsʌbˌtaɪtəl, -ˈtɪtʃə-, sʌbˈtɪtjʊlə /

noun

1. an additional subordinate title given to a literary or other work

2. Also called: caption.  (often plural) films

   1. a written translation superimposed on a film that has foreign dialogue

   2. explanatory text on a silent film

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verb

1. (tr; usually passive) to provide a subtitle for

Other Word Forms

• subtitular adjective
• unsubtitled adjective

Etymology

Origin of subtitle

First recorded in 1875–80; sub- + title

Explanation

A subtitle can either be the second, explanatory, part of a longer title, or the words that appear at the bottom of a movie screen to translate dialogue that's spoken in a foreign language. If you've got hearing loss, you might watch TV with the subtitles on, so that you can read the dialogue as it's spoken. And when a foreign film is shown in the U.S., it usually has English subtitles. The subtitle of a book, on the other hand, comes after (or under) its main title. You might call your memoirs "My Story," with the subtitle "An Incredible Life." The prefix sub-, fittingly, means "under."

Example Sentences

The subtitle, “An Unexpected Archive of Celebrity Portraits,” is stamped on its cover like a travel visa.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

The subtitle I’m using for this project is “L.A.’s Last Enclave of Black Glory.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

It’s a “quest for a mathematical theory of the mind,” as the subtitle puts it—opening with Aristotle and ending with artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

“Her words are shocking to modern readers,” Ms. DuBois writes in this fine and necessary account of “a revolutionary life,” as the book’s subtitle has it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

Only the scatological humor of the subtitle: A Companion for the Close-stool.

From The Merry-Thought: or the Glass-Window and Bog-House Miscellany. Part 1 by Guffey, George R.

Related Words

• call
• describe
• dub