subscription

American  

[suhb-skrip-shuhn] / səbˈskrɪp ʃən /

noun

subscriptions plural

1. a sum of money given or pledged as a contribution, payment, investment, etc.

2. the right to receive a periodical for a sum paid, usually for an agreed number of issues.

3. an arrangement for presenting a series of concerts, plays, etc., that one may attend by the payment of a membership fee.

   to purchase a 10-concert subscription.

4. the right to receive a service or access text online for a certain period of time.

   a subscription to a media streaming service; a subscription to an online encyclopedia; a satellite-TV subscription.

5. Chiefly British. the dues paid by a member of a club, society, etc.

6. a fund raised through sums of money subscribed.

7. a sum subscribed.

8. the act of appending one's signature or mark, as to a document.

9. a signature or mark thus appended.

10. something written beneath or at the end of a document or the like.

11. a document to which a signature is attached.

12. assent, agreement, or approval expressed verbally or by signing one's name.

13. Ecclesiastical. assent to or acceptance of a body of principles or doctrines, the purpose of which is to establish uniformity.

14. Church of England. formal acceptance of the Thirty-nine Articles of 1563 and the Book of Common Prayer.

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subscription British  

/ səbˈskrɪpʃən /

noun

1. a payment or promise of payment for consecutive issues of a magazine, newspaper, book, etc, over a specified period of time

2. 1. the advance purchase of tickets for a series of concerts, operas, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a subscription concert

3. an amount of money paid or promised, as to a charity, or the fund raised in this way

4. an offer to buy shares or bonds issued by a company

5. the act of signing one's name to a document, etc

6. a signature or other appendage attached to the bottom of a document, etc

7. agreement, consent, or acceptance expressed by or as if by signing one's name

8. a signed document, statement, etc

9. the membership dues or fees paid to a society or club

10. acceptance of a fixed body of articles of faith, doctrines, or principles laid down as universally binding upon all the members of a Church

11. med that part of a written prescription directing the pharmacist how to mix and prepare the ingredients: rarely seen today as modern drugs are mostly prepackaged by the manufacturers

12. an advance order for a new product

13. 1. the sale of books, etc, prior to printing

    2. ( as modifier )

       a subscription edition

14. archaic allegiance; submission

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsubscription
  noun
• presubscription
  noun
• resubscription
  noun
• prosubscription
  adjective
• subscriptive
  adjective
• subscriptively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• subscriptions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of subscription

1400–50; late Middle English < Old French subscription < Latin subscrīptiōn- (stem of subscrīptiō ) “something written beneath, signature, subscription” equivalent to subscrīpt ( us ) ( see subscript) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A subscription is an agreement conveyed with a signature. It's also buying a bunch of issues of a periodical, such as a year's subscription to "The New York Times" newspaper. See the word script in subscription? That's a clue that this word has to do with writing. Specifically, a subscription is the act of signing something that you agree to, like a petition. You can have a subscription to a belief too. Also, when you order a magazine or newspaper's future issues, you buy a subscription. Subscriptions like this usually last one year: you pay, and the magazine agrees to send you copies until your subscription runs out.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

subscription subscriptions

Sharma's focus on blockbuster series is a pivot away from former chief executive Phil Spencer's big bet on Game Pass, a Netflix-style subscription service.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

But that higher margin also includes higher subscription rates.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Sullivan, 63, spends $252 a month for his cable subscription, plus a few streaming platforms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Though higher subscription tiers offer some pretty decent perks, like access to a rotating game catalog, unsurprisingly, Sony jacks up the price of this service every year.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

Unlike traditional papers sold by expensive subscription; newsboys hawked these “penny papers” in the streets.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

It signals that customers are satisfied and less likely to cancel their subscriptions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

There is an ongoing debate about an alternative system, and the government is considering options including allowing the BBC to be funded by adverts or subscriptions.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

The early and intense AI adopters spent more than $100 per month per employee on AI and had their employees using advanced AI, such as coding subscriptions, as opposed to simple ChatGPT subscriptions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026

First the good news: It’ll be easier than ever to save a few bucks on streaming subscriptions in July.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

I had a penknife, a ball of cord, an ax, and $40, which I had saved from selling magazine subscriptions.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

• contribution