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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

sub.

To substitute for.

3 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/sʌb//sʊb/Ireland, Northern-England
  1. To substitute for.

    US · informal
  2. To work as a substitute teacher, especially in primary and secondary education.

    US · informal
  3. To replace (a player) with a substitute.

    UK · informal
    He never really made a contribution to the match, so it was no surprise when he was subbed at half time.
  4. To bring on (a player) as a substitute.

    UK · informal · often · uncommon
    He was subbed on half way through the second half, and scored within minutes.
  5. To perform the work of a subeditor or copy editor; to subedit.

    UK
  6. To subtitle (usually a film or television program).

    Internet · slang · transitive
  7. To lend (a person) money.

    UK · slang · transitive
  8. To subscribe.

    intransitive · slang
  9. To take a submissive role.

Where this word comes from

* Shortened form of any of various words beginning with sub-.

prep/sʌb//sʊb/Ireland, Northern-England
  1. Under.

Where this word comes from

From Latin sub.

verb/sʌb//sʊb/Ireland, Northern-England
  1. To coat with a layer of adhering material; to planarize by means of such a coating.

  2. To prepare (a slide) with a layer of transparent substance to support and/or fix the sample.

Where this word comes from

From Latin sub.

noun/sʌb//sʊb/Ireland, Northern-England
  1. Abbreviation of submarine.

    abbreviation · alt-of
  2. Clipping of submarine sandwich: a sandwich made on a long bun.

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping
    We can get subs at that deli.
  3. Clipping of submersible.

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping
  4. Clipping of substitute, often in sports or teaching.

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · informal
    With the score 4 to 1, they brought in subs.
    She worked as a sub until she got her teaching certificate.
  5. Clipping of subscription (“a payment made for membership of a club, etc.”).

    UK · abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · informal · often · plural
  6. Clipping of subtitle

    Internet · abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · informal
    I've just noticed a mistake in the subs for this film.
  7. Clipping of subroutine (sometimes one that does not return a value, as distinguished from a function, which does)

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping
  8. Clipping of subeditor

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · colloquial
  9. Clipping of subcontractor

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · colloquial
  10. Clipping of subwoofer

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · slang
  11. Clipping of submission (of a work for publication).

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · colloquial
  12. Clipping of submissive

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · informal
  13. Clipping of subordinate

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · colloquial · dated
  14. Clipping of subaltern

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · colloquial · dated
  15. Clipping of subscription (or (by extension) a subscriber) to an online channel or feed.

    Internet · abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · colloquial
    I'm totally stoked; just got 10 new subs after my last video.
  16. Clipping of subsistence money, part of a worker's wages paid before the work is finished.

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · colloquial
  17. Clipping of subreddit.

    Internet · abbreviation · alt-of · clipping
    That sub had so much politics to the point that I unfollowed it entirely.
  18. Clipping of subject (“particular area of study”)

    Philippines · abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · colloquial
  19. Clipping of subliminal (“an audio or video recording intended to produce physical or psychological changes in the listener”)

    Internet · abbreviation · alt-of · clipping
Where this word comes from

* Shortened form of any of various words beginning with sub-.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.