subnetwork
noun
sub·net·work
ˌsəb-ˈnet-ˌwərk 
variants
or sub-network
plural subnetworks or sub-networks
: a portion of a network : a network within a network
a health care subnetwork
telecommunications subnetworks
If the data's destination is within the local subnetwork, the bridge discards it, thus cutting down on unnecessary network traffic.—
Jackie Fox
Jackie FoxExamples of subnetwork in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mixture-of-experts models achieve computational efficiency by routing tokens to specialized subnetworks, but dynamic routing creates load imbalance and communication overhead that generic GPU deployments struggle to handle.
—Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Millions of people have called, texted, or sent chats to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline since mid-2022; about a tenth of those individuals who reached were routed to a specialized subnetwork for LGBTQ+ youth, but the Trump administration ended that service in July.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
The subnetwork was defunded by a federal directive of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 4 Sep. 2025
That repeal was announced during LGBTQ Pride Month, just under three years after the subnetwork was first established as a pilot program in 2022.
—ABC News, 4 July 2025
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which went national in 2022, launched a subnetwork in 2023 for LGBTQ+ young people, aimed at closing the gap in care for a vulnerable population and offering specialized care.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY, 27 June 2024
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Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Millions of people have called, texted, or sent chats to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline since mid-2022; about a tenth of those individuals who reached were routed to a specialized subnetwork for LGBTQ+ youth, but the Trump administration ended that service in July.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
The subnetwork was defunded by a federal directive of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 4 Sep. 2025
That repeal was announced during LGBTQ Pride Month, just under three years after the subnetwork was first established as a pilot program in 2022.
—ABC News, 4 July 2025
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which went national in 2022, launched a subnetwork in 2023 for LGBTQ+ young people, aimed at closing the gap in care for a vulnerable population and offering specialized care.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY, 27 June 2024
Cite this Entry
“Subnetwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subnetwork. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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