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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

“You’re not going to one-for-one sub in a guy that’s going to be wearing a gold jacket one day, in Davante,” Stafford said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 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

Daniel Sturridge has two fewer substitute goals then Welbeck but has scored a slightly higher percentage of his overall Premier League tally as a sub - 22%.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Kanu, who joined from Inter Milan having earlier won the Champions League at Ajax, made 56 of his 119 top-flight appearances for Arsenal as a sub.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

My father shook Chavez and the man’s sobbing sub sided.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

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

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

Use the following command: SUB NEW-LIST Your-first-name Your-last-name This is how we usually subscribe to discussion lists.

From The Online World by Odd De Presno

The National Labor Relations Act doesn’t allow sub- and independent contractors to unionize.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

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

Nubia was the name Egyptians gave to the expansive area south of the first cataract and extending into sub- Saharan Africa.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

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

Mikel Arteta may be attempting to rebrand them "finishers" but there's only one phrase in the footballing lexicon to sum up today's focus: super subs.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

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

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

As part of a long-standing tradition, the Permian starters wore black shirts during practice and the subs wore white.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

The switch marks the second time this year the public defender has subbed in for a high-powered attorney in an L.A. celebrity murder trial.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

He seemed to be subbed between 60 and 70 mins.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

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

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

I subbed for Walt a few times when he was in a cast—remember when he was in that cast?

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

After subbing in during the fourth quarter of a 34-10 blowout against the New Orleans Saints, he proceeded to throw for 243 yards and put his team in striking distance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 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

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

If there was any good thing that came out of subbing in for that varsity game, it was that Elle and I talked.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

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