subject

1 of 3

noun

sub·​ject ˈsəb-jikt How to pronounce subject (audio)
-(ˌ)jekt
1
: one that is placed under authority or control: such as
a
: vassal
b(1)
: one subject to a monarch and governed by the monarch's law
(2)
: one who lives in the territory of, enjoys the protection of, and owes allegiance to a sovereign power or state
2
a
: that of which a quality, attribute, or relation may be affirmed or in which it may inhere
b
: substratum
especially : material or essential substance
c
: the mind, ego, or agent of whatever sort that sustains or assumes the form of thought or consciousness
3
a
: a department of knowledge or learning
b
c(1)
: one that is acted on
the helpless subject of their cruelty
(2)
: an individual whose reactions or responses are studied
(3)
: a dead body for anatomical study and dissection
(4)
: a person who has engaged in activity that a federal prosecutor has identified as being within the scope of a federal grand jury investigation
Most white-collar criminal defendants started out as subjects of a grand jury investigation," said Bruce Green, a former federal prosecutor and a law professor at Fordham.Adam Serwer
d(1)
: something concerning which something is said or done
the subject of the essay
(2)
: something represented or indicated in a work of art
e(1)
: the term of a logical proposition that denotes the entity of which something is affirmed or denied
also : the entity denoted
(2)
: a word or word group denoting that of which something is predicated
f
: the principal melodic phrase on which a musical composition or movement is based
subjectless
ˈsəb-jikt-ləs How to pronounce subject (audio)
-(ˌ)jekt-
adjective

subject

2 of 3

adjective

1
: owing obedience or allegiance to the power or dominion of another
2
a
: suffering a particular liability or exposure
subject to temptation
b
: having a tendency or inclination : prone
subject to colds
3
: contingent on or under the influence of some later action
the plan is subject to discussion

subject

3 of 3

verb

sub·​ject səb-ˈjekt How to pronounce subject (audio)
ˈsəb-ˌjekt
subjected; subjecting; subjects

transitive verb

1
a
: to bring under control or dominion : subjugate
b
: to make (someone, such as oneself) amenable to the discipline and control of a superior
2
: to make liable : predispose
3
: to cause or force to undergo or endure (something unpleasant, inconvenient, or trying)
was subjected to constant verbal abuse
subjection noun
Choose the Right Synonym for subject

Noun

citizen, subject, national mean a person owing allegiance to and entitled to the protection of a sovereign state.

citizen is preferred for one owing allegiance to a state in which sovereign power is retained by the people and sharing in the political rights of those people.

the rights of a free citizen

subject implies allegiance to a personal sovereign such as a monarch.

the king's subjects

national designates one who may claim the protection of a state and applies especially to one living or traveling outside that state.

American nationals working in the Middle East

Adjective

liable, open, exposed, subject, prone, susceptible, sensitive mean being by nature or through circumstances likely to experience something adverse.

liable implies a possibility or probability of incurring something because of position, nature, or particular situation.

liable to get lost

open stresses a lack of barriers preventing incurrence.

a claim open to question

exposed suggests lack of protection or powers of resistance against something actually present or threatening.

exposed to infection

subject implies an openness for any reason to something that must be suffered or undergone.

all reports are subject to review

prone stresses natural tendency or propensity to incur something.

prone to delay

susceptible implies conditions existing in one's nature or individual constitution that make incurrence probable.

very susceptible to flattery

sensitive implies a readiness to respond to or be influenced by forces or stimuli.

unduly sensitive to criticism

Examples of subject in a Sentence

Noun The new museum is the subject of an article in today's paper. Death is a difficult subject that few people like to talk about. I need to break the news to her, but I'm not sure how to bring up the subject. If you're interested in linguistics, I know an excellent book on the subject. an excellent book on the subject of linguistics These meetings would be much shorter if we could keep him from getting off the subject. The morality of capital punishment is a frequent subject of debate. Chemistry was my favorite subject in high school. The classes cover a variety of subject areas, including mathematics and English. Verb Attila the Hun subjected most of Europe to his barbaric pillage.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For Ruderman, the subject is an important part of illustrating the diversity of disability, which can include invisible conditions. Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 Bon Jovi is the subject of an upcoming deep-dive four-part docuseries that drops next month on Hulu. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2024 Such ambiguity, necessary and humbling, is an enduring concern for Shanley, who is the subject this winter of an accidental New York retrospective. Jesse Green, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Six ground cinnamon products sold by discount store chains were the subject of an FDA warning over elevated lead levels Wednesday afternoon. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Knox’s story has been the subject of multiple onscreen projects to date. Joe Otterson, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 Her arresting work in Martin Scorsese’s epic has been the subject of a little category confusion—her character, Mollie, is central to the plot but goes missing for a good chunk, as she’s bedridden by a conspiratorial plot to kill her. David Sims, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024 Walmart isn't the first major retailer reconsidering the self-checkout approach, said a Business Insider report on the subject. The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 They can be left unsealed for others to read, or sealed and mailed by museum staff if the subject is still alive. Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024
Adjective
To reply to other posts, simply include ‘re:’ or ‘to’ the topic in the subject line of your post. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 The merger will be subject of a March 22 vote by DWAC shareholders. Todd Spangler, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 This signals Sandler’s singular ethnic instincts (a subject worth future study). Armond White, National Review, 8 Mar. 2024 Of course, with consultation also comes the risk that the subject or family members will raise issues. Julia Jacobs, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 And how predictive those tests are of eventual teacher success depends largely on the setting where it’s studied — factors such as grade level, subject and intended outcome. Emily Tate Sullivan, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2024 Both class size reductions would come in the 2025-26 school year, officials said, and would only affect core subject classrooms: English, math, science, and social studies. Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 10 Feb. 2024 Students would be better off if teachers stuck to their own subject expertise, instead of attempting to shoehorn in weighty issues, Christensen argued. Hannah Poukish, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 The date was from three years before, the subject line: common sense. Elliot Ackerman, WIRED, 12 Feb. 2024
Verb
Here is what a first-time DUI can subject you to in Arizona: A mandatory minimum jail sentence can last for up to six months. David Stubblefield, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 The new law applied the rules to chains with at least 60 national locations instead of 100, subjecting more companies to the higher pay requirement. Daniela Sirtori-Cortina, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024 To test this, Rolls-Royce subjected 18 different samples of wood veneer to a 1,000-hour simulation of global weather extremes. Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Police say that was because the families did not want to subject their young daughters to the criminal justice system. Ana Claudia Chacin, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024 The state enacted the Second Amendment Preservation Act in 2021, which would subject local and state law enforcement officers to $50,000 fines for helping to enforce a federal gun law, according to the Giffords Law Center. Ashley R. Williams and Josh Campbell, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024 Later in the essay, readers learn that De Rozario was subjected by her mother and her church friends to a seven-hour exorcism meant to banish her sin of queerness. Ilana Masad, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2024 Within the residential schools, researchers subjected children to bizarre, invasive, and cruel experiments — many of which the wider Canadian public has only learned of recently. Leo Sands, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024 To try to get rid of the waste the booms and mats collected, the team subjected them to two composting methods: worms and thermophilic fungi, or heat-loving bacteria and fungi that can kill pathogens by generating high temperatures. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subject.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English suget, subget, from Anglo-French, from Latin subjectus one under authority & subjectum subject of a proposition, from masculine & neuter respectively of subjectus, past participle of subicere to subject, literally, to throw under, from sub- + jacere to throw — more at jet

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of subject was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near subject

Cite this Entry

“Subject.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subject. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

subject

1 of 3 noun
sub·​ject ˈsəb-jikt How to pronounce subject (audio)
1
a
: a person under the authority or control of another
b
: a person who owes loyalty to a monarch or state
2
a
: a department of knowledge or learning
b
: an individual (as a person or a mouse) that is studied or experimented on
c
: the person or thing discussed : topic
the subject of an essay
3
: a noun or term functioning as a noun about which something is stated in the predicate of a sentence
"child" in "the child threw the ball" is the subject

subject

2 of 3 adjective
1
: owing obedience or loyalty to another
2
a
: likely to be affected by
subject to temptation
b
: having a tendency
subject to catching colds
3
: depending on
subject to your approval

subject

3 of 3 verb
sub·​ject səb-ˈjekt How to pronounce subject (audio)
1
a
: to bring under control or rule
b
: to make responsive to the discipline and control of a superior
2
: to make likely
his poor conduct subjected him to criticism
3
: to cause or force to put up with something difficult, unpleasant, or inconvenient
unwilling to subject us to embarrassment
subjection noun

Medical Definition

subject

noun
sub·​ject ˈsəb-jikt How to pronounce subject (audio)
1
: an individual whose reactions or responses are studied
2
: a dead body for anatomical study and dissection

Legal Definition

subject

noun
sub·​ject ˈsəb-ˌjekt How to pronounce subject (audio)
: the person upon whose life a life insurance policy is written and upon whose death the policy is payable : insured compare beneficiary sense b, policyholder

More from Merriam-Webster on subject

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