subset

noun

sub·​set ˈsəb-ˌset 

1

: a set each of whose elements is an element of an inclusive set

2

: division, portion

a subset of our community

Examples of subset in a Sentence

The set {1,2,3} is a subset of the set {1,2,3,4,5}.

Only a small subset of the patients in the study experienced these side effects.

Recent Examples on the Web

There are three primary types of insomnia: sleep onset insomnia (difficulty falling asleep), sleep maintenance insomnia (difficulty staying asleep), and early waking, a subset of sleep maintenance insomnia, Mukkavilli says. —Jamie Friedlander Serrano, TIME, 6 June 2024

Closer attention is being paid to the subset of 15 patients treated at three therapeutically active doses, where the overall response rate (all partial tumor shrinkage) was 40%. —Adam Feuerstein, STAT, 1 June 2024

In a world where so much truth is malleable and relative, there is a subset of that world in language where truth is fixed. —Krista Stevens, Longreads, 30 May 2024

Out of a subset of 560 reports, about 35% reported race and ethnicity bias motivation for the report. —Emma Hall, Sacramento Bee, 21 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

subset

noun

sub·​set ˈsəb-ˌset 

: a mathematical set that is a part of another mathematical set

the set of even numbers is a subset of the set of all numbers