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subordinating conjunction

or subordinate conjunction

noun Grammar.

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

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Nearby words

  1. subordinary,
  2. subordinate,
  3. subordinate clause,
  4. subordinated,
  5. subordinated debt,
  6. subordination,
  7. subordinationism,
  8. suborn,
  9. subornation of perjury,
  10. suboscine
Compare coordinating conjunction.

Origin of subordinating conjunction

First recorded in 1870–75; subordinate + -ing2
Also called sub·or·di·na·tor.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
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