subcommittee

American  

[suhb-kuh-mit-ee] / ˈsʌb kəˌmɪt i /

noun

1. a secondary committee appointed out of a main committee.

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subcommittee British  

/ ˈsʌbkəˌmɪtɪ /

noun

1. a distinct and often subordinate division of a committee

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Etymology

Origin of subcommittee

First recorded in 1600–10; sub- + committee

Explanation

When a big working group of people breaks down into smaller groups, those are subcommittees. In government, subcommittees help legislators focus on specific issues, like agriculture or education. The word subcommittee adds the prefix sub-, or "under," to committee — the main committee, or group, is like an umbrella that encompasses every subcommittee below it. You might be on the "wacky candid photos" subcommittee of the Yearbook Club, meaning you're focusing on finding goofy pictures of your classmates, but you're also part of the larger yearbook group. U.S. senators who are on the Appropriations Committee will also be part of a subcommittee, like Science, Labor, or Energy.

Example Sentences

Bessent was testifying Wednesday on the Treasury Department’s budget request at a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

“The parity in our sport,” Chris Bassitt, a Baltimore Orioles pitcher and a member of the MLBPA’s eight-man executive subcommittee, said, “is better than any other sport.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

The attorney general has been called before a subcommittee to discuss her handling of the Epstein scandal?

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026

As chair of the education finance budget subcommittee, Alvarez said that he and other lawmakers have realized community colleges can no longer be restricted to primarily serving as pathways to CSU and UC.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

Lawrence, Teller, and Mark Mills appeared before the subcommittee on Thursday, June 20.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik