subtweet

noun

sub·​tweet ˈsəb-ˌtwēt 

plural subtweets

: a usually mocking or critical tweet that alludes to another Twitter user without including a link to the user's account and often without directly mentioning the user's name

As with any good subtweet, Moore refuses to refer to Gibson by name—but it's easy enough to guess what he's talking about …

—Laura Bradley

subtweet verb, transitive + intransitive

subtweeted; subtweeting

Now, Perry is going through the classic stages of the breakup. She's spending more time with her dog. And she's now subtweeted her ex. No wonder people find her so relatable.

—Michael Hafford

subtweeting noun

Subtweeting: it's the internet equivalent of talking about someone behind their back—or at least that's how people usually explain it.

—Hannah Jane Parkinson

Examples of subtweet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite the pressure from Patrick, Phelan defended his property tax proposal and issued a slight subtweet towards Patrick on Twitter, joking about his excitement for vacation when both chambers are set to finish. —Kennedy Sessions, Chron, 27 Apr. 2023

Or maybe a subtweet or two? —Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE.com, 21 May 2021

Compound words are on the rise in the book with deadname, pageview, fintech, allyship, babymoon and subtweet. —Leanne Italie, USA TODAY, 17 Nov. 2022

But that subtweet, which usually doesn’t directly involve the target of the Discourse, and which may even be supportive of the target, only allows the harassment to continue and grow. —Lisa Bubert, Longreads, 9 Mar. 2022

Agrawal obliquely alluded to these tensions in a statement Sunday night, which some tech pundits interpreted as a not-so-subtle subtweet directed at Musk’s disregard for Twitter’s greater good. —Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2022

One particular line may or may not be a direct subtweet to Stanley Tucci. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

2009, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

subtweet

noun

sub·​tweet ˈsəb-ˌtwēt 

: a usually mocking or critical tweet that alludes to another Twitter user without including the link to the user's account and often without directly mentioning the user's name

subtweet verb