subscriber
Americannoun
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subscribers
plural
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a person, company, etc., that subscribes, as to a publication or concert series.
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a homeowner, apartment dweller, business, etc., that pays a monthly charge to be connected to a television cable service.
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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
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."
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
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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
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.