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subdue

American  
[suhb-doo, -dyoo] / səbˈdu, -ˈdju /

verb (used with object)

  • subdues,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • subdued,
    past participle,  past
  • subduing
    present participle
  1. to conquer and bring into subjection.

    Rome subdued Gaul.

    Synonyms:
    vanquish, subjugate
  2. to overpower by superior force; overcome.

  3. to bring under mental or emotional control, as by persuasion or intimidation; render submissive.

    Synonyms:
    suppress, discipline, break, tame
  4. to repress (feelings, impulses, etc.).

    Synonyms:
    suppress
    Antonyms:
    arouse, awaken
  5. to bring (land) under cultivation.

    to subdue the wilderness.

  6. to reduce the intensity, force, or vividness of (sound, light, color, etc.); tone down; soften.

    Antonyms:
    intensify
  7. to allay (inflammation, infection, etc.).


subdue British  
/ səbˈdjuː /

verb

  1. to establish ascendancy over by force

  2. to overcome and bring under control, as by intimidation or persuasion

  3. to hold in check or repress (feelings, emotions, etc)

  4. to render less intense or less conspicuous

"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

Synonym Usage

See defeat.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of subdue

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English so(b)duen, so(b)dewen, from unattested Anglo-French soduer “to overcome,” from Old French soduire “to deceive, seduce,” from Latin subdūcere “to withdraw”; meaning in English (and Anglo-French ) from Latin subdere “to place beneath, subdue”; see subduct

Explanation

To subdue is to hold back, put down, or defeat. A Doberman can be subdued with a bone, but subduing a yapping toy poodle can be a mail carrier's greatest daily challenge. You can use the verb subdue in ways ranging from subtle to very forceful. If someone is angry, you might subdue him with kind words that overcome his anger. If someone is coming at you with a giant karate chop, you may be able to subdue her with a secret weapon — a knee-snap–heel-kick-floor-drop. Sub-, as in submarine means "below" and subdue means to bring low — to keep down literally or to calm down emotionally.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing subdue

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The G.L.O.V.E. delivers a shock that is not as strong as that of a Taser, another device used by law enforcement to subdue suspects.

From Barron's Aug. 14, 2026

Their venom and bites evolved to subdue prey that is far smaller than a human.

From Science Daily Aug. 4, 2026

Assassination attempts can also warp how journalists cover a president’s opposition, and subdue how that opposition behaves.

From Slate Apr. 26, 2026

The land wasn’t empty, and Native American tribes fought fiercely to defend it in alliance with the British, leading Washington to dispatch multiple punitive expeditions to subdue them and exert American control.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 24, 2026

The larger ggeh depend solely on this notion, that the lessons of the culture will be stronger than a momentary lack, can subdue any individual weakness or want.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

We don’t yet know how MiniFlayer subdues its helper, or whether MindFlayer has evolved countermeasures.

From Salon Nov. 9, 2023

Nathan, a rich Jewish trader, is wooed by Salah ad-Din to shore up the city’s treasury after the sultan subdues the Christian crusaders, sparing one, played with amusing energy by Drew Kopas.

From Washington Post Mar. 24, 2022

One half of this cycle subdues tides, making the high tides lower and the low tides higher.

From Seattle Times Jul. 14, 2021

A masterpiece of bromantic woes, the movie subdues toxic masculinity and makes a case for men’s often dismissed necessity for platonic companionship.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 11, 2020

“The brave man is not he who feels no fear, For that were stupid and irrational; But he whose noble soul its fear subdues, And bravely dares the danger nature shrinks from.”

From Joscelyn Cheshire A Story of Revolutionary Days in the Carolinas by Sara Beaumont Kennedy

Last week’s weak labor market data combined with this week’s subdued consumer and wholesale inflation data have prompted markets to trim U.S. rate-hike bets.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 14, 2026

At the point the light became muted and subdued, and the noise from the crowd softened as they took in the spectacle.

From BBC Aug. 12, 2026

“Grades and recoveries are expected to be subdued during commissioning,” it says.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 7, 2026

Next attributed the results to warmer weather, the release of some pent-up demand in the Middle East and Northern Europe after a subdued first quarter, and a higher profitable marketing spend.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 5, 2026

I’m sure she isn’t as subdued as you’re making her out to be.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

Sun Tzu, perhaps the most famous military strategist in human history, wrote in the fifth century B.C. that subduing an enemy without fighting was the height of military skill.

From Slate Apr. 13, 2026

Young was attempting to be “playful,” according to court records, but the other agent responded by disarming and physically subduing Young, who was ordered to surrender his gun and soon retired.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 4, 2025

Gigantic or tiny, fearsome or cuddly, stealing from the rich or subduing gangsters, they scamper through the film with lolling-tongued delight and discernible personalities.

From New York Times Mar. 28, 2024

That facts such as these weren’t obvious from the beginning only shows the power of myth in subduing skeptical thinking.

From Salon Nov. 4, 2023

There was no subduing Kali, as I well knew.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

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