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

Lee, one of the letter’s signatories, serves as chair of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Navy pilots seeing unexplained aerial phenomenon, then by a 2023 Congressional subcommittee hearing on the topic.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

The hearing of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee featured senior military officials testifying on military readiness.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos testified before a Senate subcommittee regarding antitrust concerns about its proposed merger with Warner Bros.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

Lawrence eventually found his voice and launched into a speech very much like the one he had delivered to Jackson’s subcommittee.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik