subcommittee
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of subcommittee
Explanation
When a big working group of people breaks down into smaller groups, those are subcommittees. In government, subcommittees help legislators focus on specific issues, like agriculture or education. The word subcommittee adds the prefix sub-, or "under," to committee — the main committee, or group, is like an umbrella that encompasses every subcommittee below it. You might be on the "wacky candid photos" subcommittee of the Yearbook Club, meaning you're focusing on finding goofy pictures of your classmates, but you're also part of the larger yearbook group. U.S. senators who are on the Appropriations Committee will also be part of a subcommittee, like Science, Labor, or Energy.
Vocabulary lists containing subcommittee
U.S. Government - Middle School and High School
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The Legislative Branch, Sections 4–6
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U.S. Government - Middle School and High School
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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.
It comes days after Anthea Hartig, historian and director of the National Museum of American History, testified before a US House subcommittee and faced harsh criticism from Republican lawmakers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Boeing later agreed to work on a design change for a potential safety issue, at the request of Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who at the time was chairwoman of the Senate’s aviation subcommittee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Speaking to a congressional subcommittee on April 16 about the outbreak, Kennedy noted that companies usually comply with recalls right away.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Courts Director Robert Conrad will testify before an appropriations subcommittee this summer; members should question him about workplace conduct.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026
Each subcommittee handled a specific duty, such as obtaining five hundred cords of wood before winter set in, cleaning the streets, or distributing cash to those in need.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
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.
