Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

subscriber

American  
[suhb-skrahy-ber] / səbˈskraɪ bər /

noun

  • subscribers
    plural
  1. a person, company, etc., that subscribes, as to a publication or concert series.

  2. a homeowner, apartment dweller, business, etc., that pays a monthly charge to be connected to a television cable service.

  3. a person who promises to donate a sum of money, purchase stock, etc.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of subscriber

First recorded in 1590–1600; subscribe + -er 1

Explanation

A subscriber is someone who supports a cause, philosophy, or an actual service, often through paying money. For example, a subscriber to a streaming service may pay a monthly fee to watch the provider's television shows and movies. The word subscriber comes from the Latin roots sub, meaning "under," and scrib, meaning "write." So subscribers can be thought of as those who sign their names at the bottom of a contract — either literally or figuratively. Magazine subscribers literally sign a contract to pay a monthly fee to get the latest issues delivered to them. But subscribers may also just be people who strongly agree with or adopt a philosophy or lifestyle, figuratively "signing on."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

At the time, the streamer was under pressure by investors to diversify its content to attract more customers, after experiencing two quarters of subscriber losses in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 14, 2026

That means leaving certain markets and trimming benefits, rather than chasing subscriber gains.

From MarketWatch Aug. 11, 2026

The market exits come as insurers have been seeking more profitable growth over subscriber growth at any cost, analysts said.

From MarketWatch Aug. 11, 2026

Paramount+ ended the quarter with 81.6 million subscribers, with year-over-year subscriber growth accelerating to 6%.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 4, 2026

For roughly $100 a year he became a subscriber to 10-K Wizard.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

They reiterate their view that consumers’ ongoing shift to the value end of the market is structural and now anticipate Telstra losing 18,000 postpaid subscribers a year in the medium-to-long term.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 14, 2026

And the company must honor eligible “price for life” service agreements held by some residential subscribers.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 14, 2026

For subscribers, losing their Medicare Advantage plan means finding another plan from a different insurer or going to traditional Medicare.

From MarketWatch Aug. 11, 2026

A livestream featuring the Big Bear Valley nest of Jackie and her partner, Shadow, has hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

From BBC Aug. 10, 2026

There were vuvv subscribers, some live, some watching stuff cached, and even some of the kids at school tuned in.

From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training