subordinating conjunction

or subordinate conjunction

noun Grammar.

a conjunction introducing a subordinate clause, as when in They were glad when I finished.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Also called sub·or·di·na·tor.
Compare coordinating conjunction.

Origin of subordinating conjunction

First recorded in 1870–75; subordinate + -ing2

Words nearby subordinating conjunction

subordinary, subordinate, subordinate clause, subordinated, subordinated debt, subordinating conjunction, subordination, subordinationism, suborn, subornation of perjury, suboscine
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for subordinating conjunction

subordinating conjunction

noun

a conjunction that introduces subordinate clauses, such as if, because, although, and untilCompare coordinating conjunction
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