sub

[ suhb ]

See synonyms for sub on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

a submarine sandwich.
a submissive in a BDSM sexual encounter or relationship.
a subcontractor.
a sublieutenant.
a subordinate.
a subaltern.
British. an advance against one's wages, especially one granted as a subsistence allowance.
Photography. a substratum.

verb (used without object),subbed, sub·bing.

to act as a substitute for another.
to act as the submissive partner in a BDSM sexual encounter or relationship.

verb (used with object),subbed, sub·bing.

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

Origin of sub

By shortening of words prefixed with sub-

regional variation note For sub

3. See hero sandwich.

Other definitions for SUB (2 of 4)

SUB

abbreviation

supplemental unemployment benefits.

Other definitions for sub- (3 of 4)

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).
Chemistry.
- a prefix indicating a basic compound: subacetate; subcarbonate; subnitrate.
- a prefix indicating that the element is present in a relatively small proportion, i.e., in a low oxidation state: subchloride; suboxide.

Origin of sub-

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

Also su-, suc-, suf-, sug-, sum-, sup-, sur-, sus- .

Other definitions for sub. (4 of 4)

sub.

abbreviation

subordinated.
subscription.

substitute.
suburb.
suburban.
subway.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sub in a sentence

“One-third of South Asians and more than half of all sub-Saharan Africans suffer from malnutrition or undernutrition,” he writes.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity | William O’Connor | December 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
About one in three girls in sub-Saharan Africa experience sexual violence before turning 18.
To End HIV, Stop Violence Against Adolescent Girls | Michele Moloney-Kitts | November 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
This fate is unfortunately not rare for girls, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
To End HIV, Stop Violence Against Adolescent Girls | Michele Moloney-Kitts | November 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Many Obama administration sub-Cabinet positions (e.g. Surgeon General) have gone unfilled because of GOP opposition.
If You Think D.C. Is Awful Now, Wait Until Wednesday | Jonathan Alter | November 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
sub- and counter-cultures are what have driven McKell throughout his career as a portrait photographer.
London’s Pagan Counterculture Kings | Justin Jones | October 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Habet Rimbegui ostia sua sub gradu quadragesimo tertio cum besse.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614 | Various
Lannes enlisted in the second battalion of the volunteers of Gers, and was at once elected sub-lieutenant by his fellow-citizens.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Not only did he provide sub-octave and super-octave couplers freely, but he even added a Swell sub-quint to Great coupler!
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing Miller
REEF k, in latitude 14 degrees 47 minutes, has a dry sand upon it: its sub-marine extent was not ascertained.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2] | Phillip Parker King
Then he returned to his province, entered the seminary, and became a sub-deacon of the diocese of Nueva Segovia.
The Philippine Islands | John Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for sub (1 of 3)

sub

/ (sʌb) /

noun

short for several words beginning with sub-: See subaltern, subeditor, submarine, subordinate, subscription, substandard, substitute, substratum (def. 6)
British informal an advance payment of wages or salary: Formal term: subsistence allowance

verbsubs, subbing or subbed

(intr) to serve as a substitute
(intr) informal to act as a substitute (for)

British informal to grant or receive (an advance payment of wages or salary)
(tr) informal short for subedit
(tr) photog to apply a substratum to (a film or plate base)

British Dictionary definitions for sub- (2 of 3)

sub-

prefix

situated under or beneath: subterranean
secondary in rank; subordinate: subeditor

falling short of; less than or imperfectly: subarctic; subhuman
forming a subdivision or subordinate part of a whole: subcommittee
(in chemistry)
- indicating that a compound contains a relatively small proportion of a specified element: suboxide
- indicating that a salt is basic salt: subacetate

Origin of sub-

from Latin sub

British Dictionary definitions for sub. (3 of 3)

sub.

abbreviation for

subeditor
subito (in music)

subscription
substitute

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for 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.)

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