submarine
Americannoun
-
submarines
plural
-
a vessel that can be submerged and navigated under water, usually built for warfare and armed with torpedoes or guided missiles.
-
something situated or living under the surface of the sea, as a plant or animal.
-
Chiefly Northeastern and North Midland U.S. a hero sandwich.
adjective
-
situated, occurring, operating, or living under the surface of the sea.
a submarine mountain.
-
of, relating to, or carried on by a submarine or submarines.
submarine warfare.
verb (used without object)
-
to participate in the operating of a submarine.
-
to move or slide under something.
-
Slang.
-
to be thrown under the steering wheel of the vehicle one is driving during a frontal crash.
-
to be thrown out of one's seat belt in such a crash.
-
verb (used with object)
noun
-
Often shortened to: sub. a vessel, esp one designed for warfare, capable of operating for protracted periods below the surface of the sea
-
(modifier)
-
of or relating to a submarine
a submarine captain
-
occurring or situated below the surface of the sea
a submarine cable
-
Regionalisms
See hero sandwich.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of submarine
1640–50; 1895–1900 submarine for def. 1; sub- + marine
Explanation
If you're in the Navy, a submarine is a military ship that goes under the water. If you're hungry, it's a type of sandwich. This word mainly refers to a vessel that travels underwater and is armed with torpedoes — also known as a U-boat. But you can submarine someone by attacking them with a submarine or bringing them down with a blow to the legs. A disappointment can submarine — or sink — your hopes and dreams. In the kitchen, a submarine is what you call a long, crusty sandwich filled with meats and cheese — also known as a sub, grinder, hero, or hoagie.
Vocabulary lists containing submarine
Power Prefix: sub-
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
World War I
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Hitching a Ride"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
These sacs act much like the ballast tanks of a submarine.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
A Chinese submarine fired the ballistic missile fitted with a dummy warhead earlier this month, reaching far into the Pacific Ocean.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
The OJP formed approximately 110-120 million years ago during a period of extraordinary submarine volcanism.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
The funding supports a Trump administration push to boost U.S. shipbuilding and includes an equity investment in submarine supplier Rhoads Industries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Soon afterward, a US submarine determined that the pod had gone missing.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
The project to replace existing nuclear submarines will receive £8.4bn to support progress towards getting the new vessels ready for service.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Late Wednesday, the company said the government had awarded it a 5.9 billion-pound contract for work on nuclear deterrent submarines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Those Vanguard submarines are due to be retired in the 2030s, with the Dreadnoughts entering service at the same time.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The boats, which the company says cost less than $500,000, are designed to carry out strikes, but they can also launch aerial drones, conduct minesweeping missions and tow sonar systems to detect submarines, Rogynskyy said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
From then on, Germany’s efforts to win a decisive victory at sea were conducted entirely with submarines.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
The historical odds will be against the Nets, who have been submarined by Durant’s January knee sprain, Harden’s February departure and Irving’s part-time availability because of his unvaccinated status.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 28, 2022
Theoretically, those Sunday figures could be submarined by a handful of meaningless rounds where Finau was never in the tournament mix.
From Golf Digest ● Feb. 3, 2020
Watt submarined under Havenstein and sacked Goff for an eight-yard loss on a second-and-nine play late in the second quarter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2019
You can imagine my disappointment when the performance was submarined by a microphone mishap, one that introduced unexpected, tinny plonks to the mix and seemingly pushed the British star out of tune.
From The Verge ● Feb. 16, 2016
"It wouldn't surprise me," said Frank, "to get a flash any day that a ship had been submarined off the American coast."
From The Boy Allies with the Victorious Fleets Or, the Fall of the German Navy by Hayes, Clair W. (Clair Wallace)
The Cyclones shot 32% in the second half, submarining their own cause further by turning the ball over 18 times.
From Fox News ● Mar. 26, 2022
Quisenberry, a submarining closer with a world-class wit, won five Rolaids Relief Man awards for the Royals in the 1980s.
From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2022
Chicago had the bases loaded with one out when submarining right-hander Tyler Rogers caught Willson Contreras looking at an 84 mph fastball on a 3-2 count.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 2021
Since 1995, patent terms last for 20 years from the date of application, making the submarining strategy impractical.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 6, 2021
But instead I am this sphere of darkness submarining through the halls.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
