• Sub

    Pronunciation

    • enPR: sÅ­b, IPA: /sÊŒb/
    • Rhymes: -ÊŒb

    Origin 1

    Shortened form of any of various words beginning sub-, such as submarine, subroutine, substitute, subscription.

    The sandwich is so called because the bun's cylindrical shape resembles the shape of a submarine.

    Full definition of sub

    Noun

    sub

    (plural subs)
    1. A submarine.
    2. A submarine sandwich—a sandwich made on a long bun.We can get subs at that deli.
    3. (US, informal) A substitute.With the score 4 to 1, they brought in subs.She worked as a sub until she got her teaching certificate.
    4. (British, informal) A substitute in a football (soccer) game: someone who comes on in place of another player part way through the game.
      • 1930, Boy's Live, Philip Scruggs, There Can Be Victory, page 20At any other school you would be playing varsity, and Wallace has you pigeon-holed on the subs." "Maybe he has his reasons," Jim replied. "And he hasn't pigeon-holed me on the subs yet — not this season.
    5. (British, informal, often in plural) Short for subscription: a payment made for membership of a club, etc.
    6. (informal) A submissive in BDSM practices.
      • 2004, Paul Baker, Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang‎...roleplay where a sub or bottom takes care of a top's bodily and hygiene needs...
      • 2007, Laurell K Hamilton, The Harlequin"It means that I'm both a sub and a dom." "Submissive and dominant," I said. He nodded.
      • 2008, Lannie Rose, How to Change Your SexTypically a dom and a sub have a more or less standard routine that they like to go through all the time.
    7. (Internet, informal) A subtitle.I've just noticed a mistake in the subs for this film.
    8. (computing, programming) A subroutine (sometimes one that does not return a value, as distinguished from a function, which does).
      • 2002, Nathan Patwardhan, Ellen Siever, Stephen Spainhour, Perl in a nutshellThe default accessor can be overridden by declaring a sub of the same name in the package.
      • 2004, P. K. McBride, Introductory Visual Basic.NET (page 49)So far, all the subs and functions that we have used have been those built into the system, or those written to handle events from controls...
    9. (colloquial, dated) A subordinate.
    10. (colloquial, dated) A subaltern.

    Synonyms

    Hypernyms

    Verb

    1. (US, informal) To substitute for.
    2. (US, informal) To work as a substitute teacher, especially in primary and secondary education.
    3. (British, informal, football) To replace (a player) with a substitute. He never really made a contribution to the match, so it was no surprise when he was subbed at half time.
    4. (British, informal, football) Less commonly, and often as sub on, to bring on (a player) as a substitute.''He was subbed on half way through the second half, and scored within minutes.
    5. (British) To perform the work of a subeditor or copy editor; to subedit.
    6. (UK, slang, transitive) To lend.
      • 2011, Rowland Rivron, What the F*** Did I Do Last Night?I kept up the pleasantries as we were drying our hands and, realizing I didn't have any change for the lodger, I asked him, one drummer to another like, if he could sub me a quid for the dish.
    7. (slang, intransitive) To subscribe.
    8. (BDSM) To take a submissive role.
      • Alicia White, Jessica's Breakdown (page 53)You've never subbed before. Jessica will be expecting a man on stage that follows orders and enjoys what she's going to be doing. Do you want to be spanked? Possibly whipped?
      • 2012, Tiffany Reisz, Little Red Riding CropWasn't like she'd never subbed before. She'd been a sub longer than she'd been a Dominatrix–ten years she'd spent in a collar.

    Origin 2

    From Latin sub.

    Preposition

    1. Under.

    Verb

    1. To coat with a layer of adhering material; to planarize by means of such a coating.
    2. (microscopy) To prepare (a slide) with an layer of transparent substance to support and/or fix the sample.

    Anagrams

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