subplot

[ suhb-plot ]

/ ˈsʌbˌplɒt /

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noun

a secondary or subordinate plot, as in a play, novel, or other literary work; underplot.Compare counterplot (def. 2).

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of subplot

First recorded in 1915–20; sub- + plot

Words nearby subplot

suboxide, subpar, subphylum, subpixel, subpleural, subplot, subpoena, subpoena duces tecum, subpoenaed, subpolar, subpopulation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use subplot in a sentence

One of the neat things in cycling is all the subplots happening on any given day of a Grand Tour.
Two Very Different Ways of Riding the Tour de France|Alex Hutchinson|March 2, 2021|Outside Online
The integration of Reese will be one of the interesting subplots for the Terrapins as they get ready for the postseason.
Angel Reese’s return is big for Maryland women in rout of Purdue|Kareem Copeland|February 26, 2021|Washington Post
With his six-touchdown performance, Fields reestablished himself as a likely high pick in his own right, and a subplot Monday will be how much he and Alabama quarterback Mac Jones impress NFL evaluators.
The Alabama football dynasty collects another title with a 52-24 rout of Ohio State|Chuck Culpepper, Des Bieler|January 12, 2021|Washington Post
The rumor morphed and gained traction as more people contributed subplots, and it swerved through niche platforms and into the mainstream, where a Republican member of Congress blamed antifa for the insurrection.
How an internet lie about the Capitol invasion turned into an instant conspiracy theory|Bobbie Johnson|January 7, 2021|MIT Technology Review

New Orleans’s special complexity on race-related matters is proffered as a subplot, but isn’t explored enough to gain traction.
Bryan Cranston returns to TV in ‘Your Honor,’ but this grim tale is easily dismissed|Hank Stuever|December 4, 2020|Washington Post
That whole subplot seemed to me like a reference to the Ginsberg poem “Howl” and the idea of man rebelling against the status quo.
John Slattery on the ‘Mad Men’ Midseason Finale, Roger Sterling’s Power Move, and ‘God’s Pocket’|Marlow Stern|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The subplot is always whether The Company will outrun her latest mood swing, which also turns out to be somehow brilliant.
How Crazy Became All the Rage on TV|Elizabeth Wurtzel|October 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One subplot exchanges homeless people for illegal immigrants crossing into the United States.
‘The Bridge’: FX’s New U.S.-Mexican Border Thriller|Jace Lacob|July 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His daughter, Noelle, appears to have won a battle with substance abuse, a common subplot for many American families.
Can Jeb Bush Save the GOP and End Its Emerging Civil War?|John Avlon|March 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile there is a subplot (of sorts) about five people who all had a role in a crooked real estate deal.
Saw, Scrutinized|Choire Sicha|October 23, 2009|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for subplot

subplot

/ (ˈsʌbˌplɒt) /

noun

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

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