subsystem

noun

sub·​sys·​tem ˈsəb-ˌsi-stəm 

variants or less commonly sub-system

plural subsystems also sub-systems

: a system that is part of a larger system

These subsystems of the climate system include the atmosphere, the oceans (both upper and deep oceans), the sea ice, the ice sheets, the land surface, and the biota.

—Stephen H. Schneider

Voyager 2 was the troublesome twin. Even before launch, failures in its onboard computer subsystems had to be rectified. The problems continued after liftoff as the attitude-control subsystem behaved in an unexpected fashion.

—William I. McLaughlin

Examples of subsystem in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike traditional industrial robots that rely on separate subsystems for locomotion and manipulation, Figure AI says its approach enables a single AI model to manage walking, balance, object handling, and coordination in complex, dynamic environments. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 25 May 2026

Rather than requiring large teams across multiple subsystems that need to coordinate, AI models are developed by smaller teams whose output increases in quality as a function of the data and compute thrown at them. —Martin Casado, Fortune, 20 May 2026

Then the plan is derailed by a subsystem that wasn't documented, a data model nobody fully understands or an approval chain that adds three weeks to every deployment. —Kevin Cushnie, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026

Voyager 1 turned off its subsystem to look at cosmic rays (high-energy particles) in February, then did the same with its Low-Energy Charged Particles (LECP) instrument in April. —Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 9 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1756, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for subsystem

• cryptosystem
• ecosystem
• intersystem
• multisystem
• photosystem
• system