subtitle

American  

[suhb-tahyt-l] / ˈsʌbˌtaɪt l /

noun

• subtitles
  plural

1. a secondary or subordinate title of a literary work, usually of explanatory character.

2. a repetition of the leading words in the full title of a book at the head of the first page of text.

3. Movies, Television, Digital Technology.

   1. a translation or transcription of spoken language in a television program, film, video, or video game, as of dialogue in a foreign language or speech that is audible but may not be easily understood, displayed as a graphic overlay on the lower part of the screen.

   2. caption.

   3. (in silent films) an intertitle or caption.

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verb (used with object)

• subtitles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• subtitled,
  past participle,  past
• subtitling
  present participle

1. to supply a subtitle or subtitles for.

subtitle British  

/ ˈsʌbˌtaɪtəl /

noun

1. an additional subordinate title given to a literary or other work

2. Also called: caption. (often plural) films

   1. a written translation superimposed on a film that has foreign dialogue

   2. explanatory text on a silent film

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verb

1. (tr; usually passive) to provide a subtitle for

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subtitular
  adjective
• unsubtitled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• subtitles
  plural

Participles

• subtitling
  present
• subtitled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• subtitle
  simple
• subtitles
  simple
• have subtitled
  perfect
• has subtitled
  perfect
• am subtitling
  progressive
• are subtitling
  progressive
• is subtitling
  progressive
• have been subtitling
  perfect progressive
• has been subtitling
  perfect progressive

Past

• subtitled
  simple
• had subtitled
  perfect
• was subtitling
  progressive
• were subtitling
  progressive
• had been subtitling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will subtitle
  simple
• will have subtitled
  perfect
• will be subtitling
  progressive
• will have been subtitling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of subtitle

First recorded in 1875–80; sub- + title

Explanation

A subtitle can either be the second, explanatory, part of a longer title, or the words that appear at the bottom of a movie screen to translate dialogue that's spoken in a foreign language. If you've got hearing loss, you might watch TV with the subtitles on, so that you can read the dialogue as it's spoken. And when a foreign film is shown in the U.S., it usually has English subtitles. The subtitle of a book, on the other hand, comes after (or under) its main title. You might call your memoirs "My Story," with the subtitle "An Incredible Life." The prefix sub-, fittingly, means "under."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

subtitle subtitles subtitled subtitling

There are two tracks to Mr. Richardson’s biography, his triple subtitle notwithstanding: the hero—molded by Alexander’s “childhood obsession with Homer”—and the man.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The interrobang of the subtitle is a mashup of the question mark and the exclamation point that a New York ad man tried to popularize in the 1960s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

As a subtitle tells us, the footage has been “redacted by police,” for which we likely should be grateful.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Are these three subtitle terms — codependent, perfectionist, people-pleasing — interchangeable or interlinked?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026

The subtitle of the six volumes is "Cultural and Scientific Development".

From Civilization and Beyond Learning from History by Scott Nearing

Most Asian films weren’t available in English, so Lee bought VHS tapes and added subtitles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

To watch this with subtitles go to BBC iPlayer and search for Morning Live from 16/06/2026.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

The film had subtitles and a complicated “eat the rich” subtext.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

The newly serious film buff suddenly refuses to watch anything with subtitles turned off.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

As he spoke this time, his words also appeared as text, superimposed across the bottom of my display, like subtitles.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

It’s not accidental that one sequel is subtitled “The Rage.”

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026

It’s become a huge international hit, licensed in over 200 territories around the world, subtitled in 35 languages, dubbed in 12 languages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026

In the book, subtitled “Love, Loss, and a Really Long Walk,” the author intersperses dispatches from her trip with harrowing personal reflections on marriage, motherhood and the self.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

Grantham recounts them in The Making of a Permabear, written with Edward Chancellor and subtitled The Perils of Long-term Investing in a Short-Term World.

From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025

This was, in short, another memory game—that was why the Staff Picks display had been subtitled “Our Most Memorable Reads.”

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

And in motivated readers, subtitling works in tandem with reading to enhance vocabulary and literacy.

From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2023

She has a successful career subtitling for a TV network and laughs as she describes herself as very good at "adulting" and never being late for anything.

From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2021

Additionally, casting Latino actors as Latino characters “goes hand-in-hand with my reasoning for not subtitling the Spanish,” Spielberg told IGN.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2021

Ms. Chu said her strategy centered on subtitling English-language content for global distribution and creating or adapting region-specific content that could have broader appeal.

From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2021

When it comes to translating films and series, subtitling and dubbing are the most common forms of translation.

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2021

Related Words

• call
• describe
• dub