subbed; subbing
: to act as a substitute
1
subaltern
2
subscription
3
subsidiary
4
suburb
1
: under : beneath : below
subsoil
subaqueous
2
a
: subordinate : secondary : next lower than or inferior to
substation
subeditor
b
: subordinate portion of : subdivision of
subcommittee
subspecies
c
: with repetition (as of a process) so as to form, stress, or deal with subordinate parts or relations
sublet
subcontract
3
: less than completely, perfectly, or normally : somewhat
subacute
subclinical
4
a
: almost : nearly
suberect
b
: falling nearly in the category of and often adjoining : bordering on
subarctic
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- backup
- cover
- designated hitter
- fill-in
- locum tenens
- pinch hitter
- relief
- replacement
- reserve
- stand-in
- substitute
Verb
Noun (2)
Examples of sub in a Sentence
Noun (1)
we had a sub in English today, so we didn't get our test results back
Verb
Smith subbed for Jones at halftime.
subbing in a Broadway play
Smith subbed Jones at halftime.
Noun (2)
we shared a tuna sub at lunch
Recent Examples on the Web
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2024
Jordi Alba returned after missing three games with a hamstring injury, and came in as a sub for Negri in the 64th minute.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 16 May 2024
Hence the sub pattern in Game 1 and Game 2, featuring a few minutes of Watson alongside Jokic while Gordon was getting a breather.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 14 May 2024
There’s a terrified sub in boxer briefs, tied to a wall with an apple stuffed in his mouth like a Christmas pig.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
This sub dial receives Super LumiNova hour markers, and a set of blued hands hosting Globolight inserts to track the time in a surprisingly legible manner.
—Blake Buettner, Robb Report, 8 May 2024
And Levin, who works out of UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, was one of the few scientists who was given research time aboard the sub this year.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2024
The energetic midfielder scored against New England shortly after coming on as a sub for Julian Gressel in the 75th minute.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
Additionally, now through June 30, for every $25 gift card purchased in-restaurant and online, customers will receive a bonus card redeemable for a free 6-inch sub, with four bonuses maximum for purchases over $100, the company said in a news release.
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 2 May 2024
Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024
James Dupré will sub for Travis, who lost most of his ability to speak after a 2013 stroke, on what’s being called the More Life Tour, an ongoing tribute tour to Travis featuring Dupré fronting Travis’s original band.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2024
Metal rub-board player Ruben Morena very ably subbed for Red Hot Louisiana Band mainstay Steve Nash.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
At one point, Mike Conley came over to receive instruction from Finch before subbing back into the game.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 4 May 2024
While in the past, real cats have been used, amid increasing concerns about animal abuse, Hello Kitty dolls and other lifeless alternatives have been subbed in instead in recent years.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 3 May 2024
With Painter’s pitch count at 78, Pittsburg coach Marco Cartagena subbed out his starter, who is still working his way back from an injury sustained earlier in the season.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
His biggest mistake was dedicating a track to Kendrick, when Dot just sent a couple subs his way, while taking direct aim at Drake.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2024
She had just been subbed out, and the Hawkeye-heavy crowd in Cleveland offered her a proper round of applause.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Noun
Super sub Braun, who also was on the floor at the conclusion of the Nuggets’ 115-107 series-tying Game Four victory in Minnesota, had 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting (1-1 from 3) in 25 minutes in that contest.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2024
Jordi Alba returned after missing three games with a hamstring injury, and came in as a sub for Negri in the 64th minute.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 16 May 2024
Hence the sub pattern in Game 1 and Game 2, featuring a few minutes of Watson alongside Jokic while Gordon was getting a breather.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 14 May 2024
There’s a terrified sub in boxer briefs, tied to a wall with an apple stuffed in his mouth like a Christmas pig.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2024
This sub dial receives Super LumiNova hour markers, and a set of blued hands hosting Globolight inserts to track the time in a surprisingly legible manner.
—Blake Buettner, Robb Report, 8 May 2024
And Levin, who works out of UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, was one of the few scientists who was given research time aboard the sub this year.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2024
The energetic midfielder scored against New England shortly after coming on as a sub for Julian Gressel in the 75th minute.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
Additionally, now through June 30, for every $25 gift card purchased in-restaurant and online, customers will receive a bonus card redeemable for a free 6-inch sub, with four bonuses maximum for purchases over $100, the company said in a news release.
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 2 May 2024
Verb
Through the years, Fox’s New York Street has subbed for Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Pasadena.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024
James Dupré will sub for Travis, who lost most of his ability to speak after a 2013 stroke, on what’s being called the More Life Tour, an ongoing tribute tour to Travis featuring Dupré fronting Travis’s original band.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2024
Metal rub-board player Ruben Morena very ably subbed for Red Hot Louisiana Band mainstay Steve Nash.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
At one point, Mike Conley came over to receive instruction from Finch before subbing back into the game.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 4 May 2024
While in the past, real cats have been used, amid increasing concerns about animal abuse, Hello Kitty dolls and other lifeless alternatives have been subbed in instead in recent years.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 3 May 2024
With Painter’s pitch count at 78, Pittsburg coach Marco Cartagena subbed out his starter, who is still working his way back from an injury sustained earlier in the season.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
His biggest mistake was dedicating a track to Kendrick, when Dot just sent a couple subs his way, while taking direct aim at Drake.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2024
She had just been subbed out, and the Hawkeye-heavy crowd in Cleveland offered her a proper round of applause.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sub.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sub
Cite this Entry
“Sub.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sub. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sub
1 of 4 nounsub
2 of 4 verb
subbed; subbing
: to act as a substitute
sub
3 of 4 nounsub-
4 of 4 prefix1
: under : beneath : below
subsoil
subfreezing
2
a
: being at a lower rank or secondary level
substation
b
: division or lesser part of
subcommittee
subtopic
c
: involving a secondary stage or process
sublet
subcontract
3
: less than completely, perfectly, or typically : somewhat
subdominant
4
: bordering upon
subarctic
Etymology
Prefix
from Latin sub- "under, below"
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