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• sub
  sub

  noun

  a submarine.
• SUB
  SUB

  abbreviation

  supplemental unemployment benefits.
• sub-
  sub-

  a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Latin (subject; subtract; subvert; subsidy ); on this model, freely attached to elements of any origin and used with the meaning “under,” “below,” “beneath” (subalpine; substratum ), “slightly,” “imperfectly,” “nearly” (subcolumnar; subtropical ), “secondary,” “subordinate” (subcommittee; subplot ).
• sub.
  sub.

  abbreviation

  subordinated.
• sub–
  sub–

  A prefix that means “underneath or lower” (as in subsoil), “a subordinate or secondary part of something else” (as in subphylum.), or “less than completely” (as in subtropical.)

sub

¹ American  

[suhb] / sʌb /

noun

• subs
  plural

1. a submarine.

2. a substitute.

   We've got a sub in English this week because our teacher's home with the flu.

3. a submarine sandwich.

4. a submissive in a BDSM sexual encounter or relationship.

5. a subcontractor.

6. a sublieutenant.

7. a subordinate.

8. a subaltern.

9. British. an advance against one's wages, especially one granted as a subsistence allowance.

10. Photography. a substratum.

11. a subscriber.

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verb (used without object)

• subs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• subbed,
  past participle,  past
• subbing
  present participle

1. to act as a substitute for another.

2. to act as the submissive partner in a BDSM sexual encounter or relationship.

verb (used with object)

• subs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• subbed,
  past participle,  past
• subbing
  present participle

1. Photography. to coat (a film or plate) with a substratum.

SUB ² American  

abbreviation

1. supplemental unemployment benefits.

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sub- ³ American  

1. a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Latin (subject; subtract; subvert; subsidy ); on this model, freely attached to elements of any origin and used with the meaning “under,” “below,” “beneath” (subalpine; substratum ), “slightly,” “imperfectly,” “nearly” (subcolumnar; subtropical ), “secondary,” “subordinate” (subcommittee; subplot ).

2. Chemistry.

   1. a prefix indicating a basic compound.

      subacetate; subcarbonate; subnitrate.

   2. a prefix indicating that the element is present in a relatively small proportion, i.e., in a low oxidation state.

      subchloride; suboxide.

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sub. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. subordinated.

2. subscription.

3. substitute.

4. suburb.

5. suburban.

6. subway.

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sub- ¹ British  

prefix

1. situated under or beneath

   subterranean

2. secondary in rank; subordinate

   subeditor

3. falling short of; less than or imperfectly

   subarctic

   subhuman

4. forming a subdivision or subordinate part of a whole

   subcommittee

5. 1. indicating that a compound contains a relatively small proportion of a specified element

      suboxide

   2. indicating that a salt is basic salt

      subacetate

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sub ² British  

/ sʌb /

noun

1. short for several words beginning with sub- See subaltern subeditor submarine subordinate subscription substandard substitute substratum

2. Formal term: subsistence allowance.  informal an advance payment of wages or salary

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verb

1. (intr) to serve as a substitute

2. informal (intr) to act as a substitute (for)

3. informal to grant or receive (an advance payment of wages or salary)

4. informal (tr) short for subedit

5. (tr) photog to apply a substratum to (a film or plate base)

sub. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. subeditor

2. subito (in music)

3. subscription

4. substitute

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sub– Scientific  

1. A prefix that means “underneath or lower” (as in subsoil), “a subordinate or secondary part of something else” (as in subphylum.), or “less than completely” (as in subtropical.)

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Regionalisms

See hero sandwich.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• subs
  plural

Participles

• subbing
  present
• subbed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sub
  simple
• subs
  simple
• have subbed
  perfect
• has subbed
  perfect
• am subbing
  progressive
• are subbing
  progressive
• is subbing
  progressive
• have been subbing
  perfect progressive
• has been subbing
  perfect progressive

Past

• subbed
  simple
• had subbed
  perfect
• was subbing
  progressive
• were subbing
  progressive
• had been subbing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sub
  simple
• will have subbed
  perfect
• will be subbing
  progressive
• will have been subbing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sub¹

By shortening of words prefixed with sub-

Origin of sub-³

< Latin, combining form representing sub (preposition); akin to Greek hypó; see hypo-

Explanation

If a history buff mentions a sub, she's probably referring to an underwater warship. But if your friend wants a sub for lunch, he hasn't suddenly developed a taste for warships — he just wants a sandwich. Sub is short for submarine, the cylindrical watercraft with rounded ends that can operate deep beneath the water. Sub can also refer to a long sandwich filled with meat, cheese, and veggies; this kind of sub goes by different names in different parts of the country, including hero, hoagie, and grinder. The sub in your geometry classroom is probably just a substitute teacher.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sub SUB sub- sub. subs subbed subbing

Burgers, burritos or sub sandwiches are more primed for individual meals than pizza, usually considered a food for families and groups.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Quantum mechanics is the branch of physics that explains how matter and energy behave at the atomic and sub atomic scale.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

During the 13-week quarter that ended June 28, that growth stood at 2.3%, the company said, with its popular limited-time chicken salad sub and digital marketing efforts driving the gains.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

And the other was back in 1986 with West Germany's late sub Pierre Littbarski netting in a quarter-final win over Mexico.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

Wasn’t it weird that the sub could have a gray voice?

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Emma Davis helps to run The SUB Lisburn, which opened its doors to parents looking cheaper uniforms in 2021.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2023

When they rejoined the sit-in strikers, “maybe 4:30 or 5 p.m., local police officers came in with a restraining order to have the SUB evacuated,” she said.

From Washington Times ● May 16, 2020

The reality was that he and Darcy didn’t have much cushion, and his SUB pay was about to be cut in half, and his GM health benefits were going to run out.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 15, 2017

“FUM” is a slang term for F&M;, and SUB stands for “Student Union Board.”

From Washington Times ● Jul. 4, 2015

Send mail to [email protected] with the usual "SUB CJI Your-Full-Name" in the text of your message.

From The Online World by Odd De Presno

Due to its unusual climate, the island is rich in biodiversity, serving as a breeding site for southern elephant and sub- Antarctic fur seals.

From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2025

Eris “is essentially a sub-, sub-variant of XBB,” according to Pan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2023

Cincinnati does have a very, very long-shot chance for the bye: They would have to beat the Browns and have both Kansas City and Tennessee lose to sub- .500 opponents.

From New York Times ● Jan. 4, 2022

This has created the bowl-like shape of the region, which creates an overall internal drainage, and countless sub- drainages in individual basins.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

In "sustain" sus- is a contraction of subs- for sub-.

From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton

"For Deniz it was clear, he gave us a lot in the last game when he was a sub. Deniz doesn't need to be prepared, he can jump in right away."

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

A quick run-down: I adore sunchokes but they're notoriously difficult to find at most stores, so if you need to sub. this out for anything, I'd opt for any other root vegetable.

From Salon ● May 14, 2023

Unperplexed by all the hubbub, Said he: “It’s the guy from Grubhub, Bringing me my favorite pub sub. Just a sandwich, nothing more.”

From Washington Post ● Aug. 8, 2019

“I want to see the difference in a nuclear-powered sub. For me, it’ll be like going on a Carnival Cruise ship,” he said.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 29, 2014

“Since this is the first run, we want to go easy on the sub. We’ll head out from shore and go twenty feet down, make a circle and come back.”

From "Wolfie & Fly" by Cary Fagan

Philly Cheesesteaks, along with new hot Italian subs, have proven popular among younger consumers.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

Subs are making $500 a day, but there are fewer subs than teachers and striking teachers forfeit pay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

If the subs have done their jobs but weren’t paid, consider paying them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026

Between 2014-15 and 2018-19 with three subs there is not a single player who did not play 90 minutes at last once.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026

These diesel-electric subs could cruise underwater on battery power for up to forty-eight hours, but to recharge they needed to approach the surface, take in oxygen, and run their diesel engines.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

During the match Szoboszlai gave the captain's armband to Tsimikas rather than Jones when he was subbed off, and during the argument the Greece left-back was filmed throwing it to the floor.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Even there, I tried to work when my kid was subbed out.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Somewhere in the mix of all this is Ronaldo, who got the first knockout stage goal of his Cup career with that penalty kick, but also was subbed off late for fresher legs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

The scoring streak started immediately after Hayes subbed back into the game with 7:20 remaining after he scored on his first possession, cutting to the basket for a dunk off an assist from Doncic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2026

I make it through the first four innings of our state tournament game before my not-quite-completely-healed arm is throbbing so bad, I ask to be subbed out.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

Nearing his 126th show, Fedigan has worked his way up the ranks from subbing in as a spotlight operator to overseeing the entire technical production of hit shows like “Chicago.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

It was enough to make Bilodeau’s coach go to his bench, Cronin subbing in Brandon Williams for Bilodeau, who remained on the bench for more than five minutes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2025

But Bellingham Sr felt subbing off his son so early and witnessing what he deemed to be a rather dull style of football was enough to butt heads with Kehl and indirectly criticise Kovac's work.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2025

Megyn Kelly, however, defended Carlson, arguing on X that “No one is expecting any of the ppl subbing for Charlie to imitate Charlie.”

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2025

Can’t say the same for Khyler, who’s subbing at catcher.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone