subtitle

American  

[suhb-tahyt-l] / ˈsʌbˌtaɪt l /

noun

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)

subtitled, subtitling

1. to supply a subtitle or subtitles for.

subtitle British  

/ ˈsʌbˌtaɪtəl, -ˈtɪtʃə-, sʌbˈtɪtjʊlə /

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

• subtitular adjective
• unsubtitled adjective

Etymology

Origin of subtitle

First recorded in 1875–80; sub- + title

Example Sentences

The second disc, subtitled “Disc 39,” takes a broader view, looking at work and family from the perspective of someone who has learned a great deal and is ready to move on.

From The Wall Street Journal

But when Kenneth Handler was at Hamilton High School in Beverlywood, he “played the piano and went to movies with subtitles.”

From Los Angeles Times

The more things change, the more they stay the same: That could have been the subtitle of Philip Stephens’s vivid and provocative book on the tangled relationship between Britain and Ireland.

From The Wall Street Journal

Boaz knew it was in Yiddish, but the subtitles that wavered on the floor translated.

From Literature

In his bestseller “Unreasonable Hospitality,” restaurateur and hospitality guru Will Guidara takes that even further; the subtitle is “The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• call
• describe
• dub