sub

[suhb]Informal.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sub ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a submarine.

a substitute.

a submarine sandwich. See hero sandwich.

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.

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

3. See hero sandwich.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for subbed

oust, restore, supply, succeed, supplant, follow, recover, reinstate, change, swap, replace, regain, compensate, sub, retrieve, supersede, shift, displace, patch, repay

Examples from the Web for subbed

Contemporary Examples of subbed

On the show, she was the epitome of Marilyn Monroe hotness, but subbed loud belches for breathy coos—and then laughed about it.
Jenny McCarthy Twerks Out a Stellar ‘The View’ Debut
Kevin Fallon
September 9, 2013
Just as I'm finishing this post, they subbed out Greenland with: "Romney, Cameron Engage in Olympic Games Tiff."
The Alternative Universe Where Mitt Romney Is A Cool Guy
Michael Tomasky
July 26, 2012

Historical Examples of subbed

Course, we was only gettin' our ten per cent., and from some we'd subbed out not even that.
The House of Torchy
Sewell Ford
He subbed as ship's cook when things were slow in his specialty.
Contamination Crew
Alan Edward Nourse
So when I went ashore with a couple of dollars I'd subbed from the skipper, I didn't want much to upset me.
The Harmsworth Magazine, Vol. 1, 1898-1899, No. 6
Various
That day she was ill, Sue Mason subbed for her; and she probably would again.
The Mystery of Arnold Hall
Helen M. Persons
Bustling off in search of Irma, Jerry accosted her with: Who subbed for me to-day at the nursery?
Marjorie Dean High School Senior
Pauline Lester

British Dictionary definitions for subbed

sub

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 salaryFormal term: subsistence allowance

verb subs, 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)

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

Word Origin and History for subbed

sub

shortened form of substitute, 1830; the verb in this sense is from 1853. Related: Subbed; subbing. From 1917 as short for submarine (n.).