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

“Her words are shocking to modern readers,” Ms. DuBois writes in this fine and necessary account of “a revolutionary life,” as the book’s subtitle has it.

From The Wall Street Journal

Its subtitle, about awakening and survival, underlines Mrie’s trajectory from submissive daughter to political actor and skilled observer.

From Los Angeles Times

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

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

Related Words

• call
• describe
• dub