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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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Regional Use

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

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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-

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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

Her time of 3:56.63 took 2.22 seconds off O'Sullivan's Irish record and marked her first sub four-minute run.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Viewers can expect “Star Wars” characters to sub in during special moments, as well as various Easter eggs to appear throughout the game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

It’s not just an event, but it’s also like a sub label of Soulection that focuses on electronic music, a lot of Afro electronic music but not just that — just house music in general.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

That exists sub rosa everywhere, with VIPs—meaning anyone awash in money or followers—afforded bowing and scraping not extended to the average customer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

And the sub made the entire day so dreary and dull that Emma had started looking for and counting weird things about the day just to keep herself awake.

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

As the arrested strikers were escorted out of the SUB through doorways near the northwest side of the building, truckloads of New Mexico National Guard soldiers were arriving on the east side of the building.

From Washington Times ● May 16, 2020

From a raised seating area outside the SUB cafeteria, Dressman saw a guardsman running toward him.

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

Nay, thou art so violent now—Do but conceive, Thou art old, and canst not serve— SUB.

From The Alchemist by Ben Jonson

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

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

But ominously, they are just 14-14 this year vs. those sub-.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 1, 2016

The first class is Spanish, all about sub- jects and predicates.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

"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

“We had a math sub. She let us out early.”

From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead

Pacific Island countries with small populations have struggled to patrol millions of kilometres of Pacific Ocean to combat illegal fishing fleets from Asia and the passage of "narco subs" deployed from South America.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

It also called for creating a “Component Repair Center,” essentially a submarine spare parts warehouse, that could quickly ship replacements to subs and repair broken parts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

Onto the rest: “Maid of Honour” calls back to his failed-but-intriguing experiment in deep house, 2022’s “Honestly, Nevermind,” but subs out that LP’s raver fog for squelchy Miami bass, footwork and ghettotech.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

The commanders of the other subs read the same orders.

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

The Dolphins’ No. 1 player Aila Monahan and No. 2 player Charlie Roberts each won three sets before being subbed out for the last round with a second straight title already secure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

He committed two fouls during the cameo appearance and the Lakers’ six-point lead at the end of the first quarter turned into a two-point deficit by the time Looney subbed out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

"To get subbed in, having not done any efforts in this team, or in this track, or in this order, it was always going to be a bit of a gamble."

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 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

Mr. Cobb sometimes subbed for their Social Studies teacher, and he always managed to slip in a story about the Vietnam War, even when their class unit was on ancient civilizations.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

McCarthy saw his first extended action subbing in for Winston during the fourth quarter of what had been a 34-10 blowout earlier this month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

Liam Lawson, subbing at Red Bull for Isack Hadjar after the Frenchman broke his wrist boxing, was 11th.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

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

Importantly, subbing out water for sports drinks is not going to cut it: “It functionally makes very little difference in terms of people’s outcome,” Charlton said.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2025

“I’m going to be subbing at your school,” said Mother.

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine

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