subplot

American  

[suhb-plot] / ˈsʌbˌplɒt /

noun

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

---

subplot British  

/ ˈsʌbˌplɒt /

noun

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

---

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

The stock market’s resilience has been a surprising, and broadly welcomed, subplot in the transition to higher interest rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Even the film’s potentially provocative examination of open marriages falls by the wayside, replaced by an increasingly strained subplot involving Haru contending with Mila’s unexpected arrival.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

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

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

As if that were not enough to make the average salad eater develop a mild interest in supply-chain forensics, the story soon acquired a political subplot.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

This insistence upon singleness of purpose in a play, clinging to it against all allurements, does not imply that what is known as a subplot may not be allowed in a drama.

From How to See a Play by Sir Richard Francis Burton

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---