subset

[suhb-set]

See more synonyms for subset on Thesaurus.com

noun

a set that is a part of a larger set.
Mathematics. a set consisting of elements of a given set that can be the same as the given set or smaller.

Origin of subset

First recorded in 1900–05; sub- + set

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for subset

subdivision, member, batch, group, division, portion, share, cut, ration, part, section, fragment

Examples from the Web for subset

Contemporary Examples of subset

And in September 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ordered the release of a 21-photo subset.
The Detainee Abuse Photos Obama Didn’t Want You To See
Noah Shachtman, Tim Mak
December 15, 2014
They acted as if music were a subset of the fashion or cinema or advertising industries.
Music Criticism Has Degenerated Into Lifestyle Reporting
Ted Gioia
March 18, 2014
The Obama administration mainly sees the Syrian war as a subset of the Iran question.
What To Do In Syria
Hussein Ibish
June 28, 2013
But a substantial minority—almost one-third of the subset—did not fit that description.
More Details on IRS Approvals
Michael Tomasky
June 12, 2013
But, the fact of coverage also leads some subset of these people to smoke who otherwise would not.
How Not to Cherry-Pick the Results of the Oregon Study (Ultrawonkish)
Megan McArdle
May 13, 2013

Historical Examples of subset

A subset of the Sun Tzu example is the view that war is deception.
Shock and Awe
Harlan K. Ullman

British Dictionary definitions for subset

subset

noun

maths
1. a set the members of which are all members of some given class: A is a subset of B is usually written A⊆B
2. proper subsetone that is strictly contained within a larger class and excludes some of its membersSymbol: A⊂B
a set within a larger set

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for subset

"subordinate set," 1902, from sub- + set (n.1).

subset in Science

subset

[sŭb′sĕt′]

A set whose members are all contained in another set. The set of positive integers, for example, is a subset of the set of integers.