subsystem
noun
sub·sys·tem
ˈsəb-ˌsi-stəm 
variants
or less commonly sub-system
plural subsystems also sub-systems
: a system that is part of a larger system
These subsystems of the climate system include the atmosphere, the oceans (both upper and deep oceans), the sea ice, the ice sheets, the land surface, and the biota.—
Stephen H. Schneider
Stephen H. SchneiderVoyager 2 was the troublesome twin. Even before launch, failures in its onboard computer subsystems had to be rectified. The problems continued after liftoff as the attitude-control subsystem behaved in an unexpected fashion.—William I. McLaughlin
William I. McLaughlinExamples of subsystem in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The astronauts will be in space for a little more than a week testing the Starliner spacecraft and its subsystems.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 6 May 2024
The chip contained lines of code used by the flight data subsystem (FDS), one of three computers aboard the spacecraft and the one that is responsible for collecting and packaging data before sending it back to Earth.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 May 2024
In December 2023, the JPL announced the problem was with one of Voyager 1's onboard computers called the flight data subsystem (FDS).
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2024
On March 3, the Voyager mission team noticed that activity from one section of the flight data subsystem, was different from the rest of the computer's unreadable data stream.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024
This subsystem bundles the information collected by the probe before it is beamed back to the mission team.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
The space agency traced the source of the communication breakdown to one of the spacecraft’s three onboard computers, known as the flight data subsystem, which is responsible for packaging the science and engineering data before it’s beamed to Earth.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024
The launch delay was primarily caused by the battery issue and the disassembly required to access and replace them amid a myriad of complex subsystems.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2024
These are compelling building blocks for subsystem suppliers but are less comprehensive than Nvidia and Qualcomm's solutions.
—Steve McDowell, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 6 May 2024
The chip contained lines of code used by the flight data subsystem (FDS), one of three computers aboard the spacecraft and the one that is responsible for collecting and packaging data before sending it back to Earth.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 May 2024
In December 2023, the JPL announced the problem was with one of Voyager 1's onboard computers called the flight data subsystem (FDS).
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2024
On March 3, the Voyager mission team noticed that activity from one section of the flight data subsystem, was different from the rest of the computer's unreadable data stream.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024
This subsystem bundles the information collected by the probe before it is beamed back to the mission team.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
The space agency traced the source of the communication breakdown to one of the spacecraft’s three onboard computers, known as the flight data subsystem, which is responsible for packaging the science and engineering data before it’s beamed to Earth.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024
The launch delay was primarily caused by the battery issue and the disassembly required to access and replace them amid a myriad of complex subsystems.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2024
These are compelling building blocks for subsystem suppliers but are less comprehensive than Nvidia and Qualcomm's solutions.
—Steve McDowell, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subsystem.' 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 subsystem
Cite this Entry
“Subsystem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subsystem. Accessed 17 May. 2024.
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