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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

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

"He's tiny! It's blue!" one excited scientist was recorded as saying when she first caught sight of the cerulean cephalopod on footage transmitted from the sub.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

“No. The sub was actually pretty nice. She didn’t tattle on me to the principal or anything like that, though she did make me wear those stupid arms until lunchtime.”

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

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

Thus they, in two long rows, 30,000 of them by the tale, dine joyfully SUB DIO.

From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 07 by Carlyle, Thomas

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

He didn’t stand out in the second half of the season, as Seattle fell from 6-3 to 7-8 before winning the final two games of the regular season, dropping games to the sub-.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 6, 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

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

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

Sometimes managers have pre-set subs at 60 minutes, like Ruben Amorim did, and it throws the momentum to the other team.

From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026

It subs in for the more rock-leaning Sonora Tent that was broadcast on the Weekend 1 stream.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

Two of the subs were their big summer attacking signings, Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade.

From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026

The subs, including me, were kicking a ball around in a circle.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

Vuskovic endured a difficult World Cup, subbed off after 66 minutes of Croatia's opening loss to England, then not appearing in their three subsequent games.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

After the goal, U.S. star Christian Pulisic was subbed out after sustaining an apparent leg injury while attempting a shot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

So he subbed his substitute, which is always a brave move, and shortly afterwards also took off Saka, who had arguably been Arsenal's best attacking player up until that point.

From BBC ● May 10, 2026

“Imam Malik subbed for our class today,” Rabiya says.

From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan

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

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

Dawson was subbing for Chris Woakes, who will miss the remainder of the match with a shoulder injury sustained on day one.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2025

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

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine