subplot

American  

[suhb-plot] / ˈsʌbˌplɒt /

noun

1. a secondary or subordinate plot, as in a play, novel, or other literary work; underplot.

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subplot British  

/ ˈsʌbˌplɒt /

noun

1. a subordinate or auxiliary plot in a novel, play, film, etc

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Etymology

Origin of subplot

First recorded in 1915–20; sub- + plot

Explanation

A secondary story in a book or movie, rather than the central narrative, is its subplot. Romeo and Juliet focuses on the main characters' love, but one of its many subplots is the rivalry between Mercutio and Tybalt. You can think of a subplot as a side story, something that seems a bit less important than the main plot but usually ties into it in some way. Almost all fiction has at least one subplot, from Inigo Montoya's desire for revenge in The Princess Bride to the comedic interactions of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Shakespeare's Hamlet. This literary term adds the prefix sub-, "under" or "smaller," to plot, "the main events of a story."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

subplot

I don’t blame you for blissfully memory-holing this particular subplot.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

Thursday’s actions marked the latest subplot in an unusually dramatic mid-August week for Wall Street.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

But there was a subplot that has been little discussed before.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

She and Grace exchange a few looks so fraught with meaning that you almost wonder if a romantic subplot got cut.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

In the subplot, or minor story, the play is notable for the burlesquing of two types of character—a pompous pedantic schoolmaster, and a braggart who always speaks in high-flown metaphor.

From An Introduction to Shakespeare by H. N. MacCracken