subdue
Americanverb (used with object)
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subdues,
present (3rd person singular)
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subdued,
past participle, past
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subduing
present participle
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to conquer and bring into subjection.
Rome subdued Gaul.
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to overpower by superior force; overcome.
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to bring under mental or emotional control, as by persuasion or intimidation; render submissive.
- Synonyms:
- suppress, discipline, break, tame
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to repress (feelings, impulses, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- suppress
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to bring (land) under cultivation.
to subdue the wilderness.
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to reduce the intensity, force, or vividness of (sound, light, color, etc.); tone down; soften.
- Antonyms:
- intensify
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to allay (inflammation, infection, etc.).
verb
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to establish ascendancy over by force
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to overcome and bring under control, as by intimidation or persuasion
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to hold in check or repress (feelings, emotions, etc)
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to render less intense or less conspicuous
Synonym Usage
See defeat.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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subduablenessnoun
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subdualnoun
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subduernoun
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presubdueverb (used with object)
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subduableadjective
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unsubduableadjective
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subduablyadverb
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subduinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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subduesimple
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subduessimple
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have subduedperfect
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has subduedperfect
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am subduingprogressive
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are subduingprogressive
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is subduingprogressive
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have been subduingperfect progressive
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has been subduingperfect progressive
Past
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subduedsimple
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had subduedperfect
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was subduingprogressive
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were subduingprogressive
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had been subduingperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing subdue
Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman?" (1863)
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100 SAT words Beginning with "S"
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"Common Sense," Vocabulary from the pamphlet
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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:
However, this could also help the trade overall as it might also subdue worries about overfunding.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Their venom and bites evolved to subdue prey that is far smaller than a human.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
The legions of the Roman Republic set out to subdue the Mediterranean world in the name of the city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Seven years later, President Thomas Jefferson sent the fleet—three frigates and a schooner—to subdue pirates disrupting shipping along North Africa’s Barbary Coast.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
I felt pain, and then I felt ire; and then I felt a determination to subdue her—to be her mistress in spite both of her nature and her will.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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
Iris subdues it into a less offal-forward iteration, with ground chicken livers and flesh wrapped, somehow, in veal sweetbreads, and grilled with great care.
From New York Times ● Jun. 28, 2021
Here the idea of modesty subdues passion like a wonderful sordine, and surrender and tenderness intertwine with the ideals of modesty.
From Paul Verlaine by Stefan Zweig
U.S. jobless claims were subdued again last week, defying forecasts for an uptick as the labor market remains slow but sturdy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
However, the consumer environment remains subdued, clouding longer-term growth prospects for Heineken, he noted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
In 2015, as leader of Israel's centre-left Labour party, Herzog vied to oust Netanyahu as prime minister, presenting himself as a subdued, even-keeled alternative to the bombastic "Bibi".
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Dominic Calvert-Lewin: Grew into the game after subdued start.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
They can be subdued and ridden, even in the wild, but it’s usually helpful to startle them first.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
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
The Fremiels, relieved by the subduing of the Sunset fire, were hoping to return home for the weekend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 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
“She’s not going anywhere. We can look for accomplices later, too. The priority has to be subduing the crowd. This is a Protocol Six-Oh-Two situation. All of you—go!”
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
