subtweet

American  

[suhb-tweet] / ˈsʌbˌtwit /

noun

1. (on the Twitter website) a hostile or otherwise negative post that is addressed to or about a particular person but does not mention the person’s username or does not name the person at all.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to post such a message or tweet about (someone) on Twitter.

   I wish she’d stop subtweeting and talk to me in person.

Usage

What does subtweet mean? A subtweet is a negative post on the social media site Twitter, targeting a certain person without directly mentioning them or their username.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subtweeter
  noun

Etymology

Origin of subtweet

2009; sub(liminal) + tweet (in the sense “a message posted on Twitter”)

Example Sentences

Compound words are on the rise in the book with deadname, pageview, fintech, allyship, babymoon and subtweet.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2022

As Qualcomm laid bare in a salty Google subtweet last week, it would stand to lose out if major companies like Oppo were to take on SoC design themselves.

From The Verge • Oct. 20, 2021

In an ideal world, zoomers would have the peace to be able to use TikTok solely to learn dumb dances, or use Twitter just to subtweet irritating classmates.

From Salon • Sep. 1, 2021

But there’s also another, more encouraging way to interpret Barr’s comments: Maybe it was all just one giant, coded subtweet of the boss.

From Washington Post • Oct. 14, 2019

Davidson jokingly proposed to Maggie Rogers in a promo for Episode 4, leading Grande to subtweet him to hell and release one of the greatest breakup songs in recent memory.

From Slate • Nov. 13, 2018