subprime

American  

[suhb-prahym] / sʌbˈpraɪm /

adjective

1. being of less than top quality.

   a subprime grade of steel.

2. being below a prime rate.

   banks engaging in subprime lending.

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subprime British  

/ ˈsʌbˌpraɪm /

adjective

1. (of a loan) made to a borrower with a poor credit rating, usually at a high rate of interest

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noun

1. a loan made to a borrower with a poor credit rating

Etymology

Origin of subprime

sub- + prime

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

subprime

It was the third home she’d owned; she bought her first at 20, thanks to subprime mortgages and help from her grandfather.

From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026

These stand-alone classes increase graduates’ credit scores by 2 points, the report found, and graduates are about 4% less likely to have a subprime credit score.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

In an email response to The Times, an unidentified spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said “any claim that there are subprime conditions at Adelanto ICE Processing Center are false.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

A review of Greenspan’s statements before the financial crisis shows that he was the earliest and most consistent government official to sound the alarm about the building threat from the securitization of subprime mortgages.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

“I did subprime first. I lived with the worst first. These guys lied to infinity. What I learned from that experience was that Wall Street didn’t give a shit what it sold.”

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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