# sub

Pronunciation: say "SUB" /sʌb/

## Noun

1. Short for submarine sandwich: a sandwich made on a long roll. — Clipping of submarine sandwich: a sandwich made on a long bun.
   - Simple: Short for submarine sandwich. A big sandwich made on a long bread roll.
   - _The deli on the corner makes the best meatball sub in town._
   - _We ordered a six-foot sub for the office party._
2. Short for substitute: a person who stands in for another, especially a substitute teacher or a player who comes off the bench in a game. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Short for substitute: someone who takes another person's place, especially a teacher or sports player.
   - _The district is so short of teachers that every sub on its list gets a call before seven._
   - _Our best sub came off the bench and scored twice in the fourth quarter._
3. Short for submarine, or for submersible: a vessel that travels underwater. — Abbreviation of submarine.
   - Simple: Short for submarine. A boat that can travel under the water.
   - _An enemy sub was tracked shadowing the convoy for three days._
   - _The nuclear sub can stay submerged for months without surfacing._
5. Short for subwoofer: a loudspeaker designed to reproduce the deepest bass frequencies. *(slang)* — Clipping of subwoofer
   - Simple: Short for subwoofer: a speaker that plays very deep bass sounds.
   - _The home theater package comes with five speakers and a wireless sub._
   - _The bass line was so deep that only the sub could really reproduce it._
6. Short for subscription: a sign-up to follow or pay for an online channel or feed, or by extension a person who has subscribed. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of subscription (or (by extension) a subscriber) to an online channel or feed.
   - Simple: Short for subscription: a sign-up to follow an online channel, or a person who has signed up.
   - _The streamer thanked each new sub by name during the broadcast._
   - _A paid sub to the channel unlocks ad-free videos and a members-only chat._
7. Short for subcontractor: a person or company hired by another contractor to carry out part of that contractor's work. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of subcontractor
   - Simple: Short for subcontractor: a worker or company hired to do part of another contractor's job.
   - _The general contractor blamed the delay on a sub who never delivered the windows._
   - _Every sub on the site has to show proof of insurance before starting work._
8. Short for subtitle: the on-screen text of a film's or show's dialogue. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of subtitle
   - Simple: Short for subtitle. The words at the bottom of the screen that show what people say.
   - _The fansub group rushed the release, and the subs kept showing up a full second after each line was spoken._
   - _I watched the whole series with Spanish subs, pausing whenever a sub flashed by too fast._
10. Short for submissive: a person who submits to a dominant partner in BDSM. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of submissive
   - Simple: Short for submissive. In BDSM, the partner who agrees to follow the other partner's lead.
   - _The workshop stressed that the dom and the sub agree on limits before any scene begins._
   - _He found he enjoyed being the sub far more than taking charge._
13. Short for subreddit: one of the many forums on Reddit, each devoted to a particular topic. — Clipping of subreddit.
   - Simple: Short for subreddit: a group on Reddit where people talk about one topic.
   - _Posting the same link to every sub you can find will get you banned fast._
   - _The gardening sub on Reddit runs a weekly thread for beginners' questions._
12. Short for subscription: a payment for membership of a club, or for something similar such as a regular magazine. *(colloquial, British)* — Clipping of subscription (“a payment made for membership of a club, etc.”).
   - Simple: Short for subscription. Money you pay to belong to a club, or to get a magazine regularly.
   - _The treasurer reminded members that subs were due, and that a late sub would cost an extra five pounds._
   - _I let my sub to the film magazine lapse when the price went up._
17. Short for subeditor: a newspaper or magazine journalist who edits reporters' copy for accuracy, style and length and often writes headlines. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of subeditor
   - Simple: Short for subeditor: a newspaper or magazine editor who checks and corrects stories.
   - _The night sub trimmed the report by fifty words so it would fit on the page._
   - _Every sub on the business desk checked the figures before the paper went to press._
19. Short for submission: a story, poem or other piece of work sent to an editor or publisher for consideration. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of submission (of a work for publication).
   - Simple: Short for submission: a piece of work sent in to be published.
   - _The fiction editor works through every sub in the queue, but replies can take six months._
   - _Her first sub to the anthology came back with a kind rejection note._
21. Short for subsistence money: part of a worker's wages paid before the work is finished. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Short for subsistence money. It is part of your pay that you get before the job is done.
   - _New hires could draw a sub at the end of their first week rather than wait a month for full pay._
   - _The foreman kept a record of every sub paid out and deducted each one from the final paycheck._
22. Short for subject: a course or area of study in school, such as English, math or chemistry. *(colloquial, Philippines)* — Clipping of subject (“particular area of study”)
   - Simple: Short for subject: an area you study in school, like math or history.
   - _Which sub do you have after lunch, English or Filipino?_
   - _He dropped one sub because its schedule clashed with his part-time job._

## Verb

4. To act as a substitute for someone or something, especially to work as a substitute teacher. *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: To take the place of someone or something for a while, especially to teach another teacher's class.
   - _I'm subbing for Dave on the late shift this week._
   - _Applesauce can sub for oil in many muffin recipes._
9. To add subtitles to something, usually a film or television program. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To add written words to a movie or TV show that show what people say.
   - _Volunteers usually sub each episode within a day of its release in Japan._
   - _The studio never subbed the director's early films, so fans did it themselves._
11. To replace a player during a game with a substitute, either taking the player off or bringing the substitute on. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: In sports, to take one player out of a game and put another in.
   - _Fans booed when the manager subbed their favorite striker in the 60th minute._
   - _If he doesn't improve after the break, they'll sub him._
14. To subscribe, signing up to receive something regularly. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To sign up so you get something regularly.
   - _Don't forget to sub to the channel so you never miss a new episode._
   - _Half the chat subbed during the charity stream._
15. To take the submissive role in BDSM play or in a BDSM relationship.
   - Simple: In BDSM, to be the partner who gives up control and follows the other's lead.
   - _Some people prefer to sub, while others like to switch roles from one scene to the next._
   - _Having subbed for years, she knew how to set clear limits with a new partner._
18. To do the work of a subeditor or copy editor. *(British)*
   - Simple: To do the job of a copy editor, checking and correcting writing before it is published.
   - _Freelancers who sub copy for the national papers are usually paid by the shift._
   - _She spent ten years subbing on the features desk before becoming a columnist._
20. To lend money to a person. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: To lend someone some money.
   - _If you can sub me a tenner, I'll pay you back on payday._
   - _She subbed her flatmate the rent money when his wages came in late._

## Noun

16. Short for subordinate: a person who works under the authority of someone of higher rank. *(dated)* — Clipping of subordinate
   - Simple: Short for subordinate: a person who works under someone of higher rank.
23. Short for subaltern: a junior army officer below the rank of captain, such as a lieutenant, especially in the British army. *(dated)* — Clipping of subaltern
   - Simple: Short for subaltern: a junior army officer below the rank of captain.
   - _Fresh from training, the sub was given command of a platoon on the frontier._
   - _The colonel invited each new sub to dinner during his first week with the regiment._

## Other meanings

- (preposition) Under; a preposition taken over from Latin and placed before a noun.
- (noun) Short for subroutine: a block of computer code called to perform a task, sometimes specifically one that returns no value.
- (verb) To coat a surface, such as a wafer or a microscope slide, with a thin layer that sticks to it and flattens it or holds a sample.

## Origin

A shortened form of any of various words beginning with sub-.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sub (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).