subduction

noun

sub·​duc·​tion (ˌ)səb-ˈdək-shən 

: the action or process in plate tectonics of the edge of one crustal plate descending below the edge of another

subduct

(ˌ)səb-ˈdəkt 

verb

Examples of subduction in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Only slowly this shell broke open, with fragments sinking downward into the Earth’s interior, a process called subduction and today a driving mechanism behind plate tectonics. —David Bressan, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025

Stretching between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula and Japan's Hokkaido, the chain of volcanic islands is prone to frequent earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions due to the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the North American and Okhotsk plates. —Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025

The Nankai Trough is a 700-kilometer-long (435-mile) subduction zone, where one tectonic plate slips beneath another. —Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2025

Tobin said the successful tsunami warning Tuesday should spur investment in seafloor sensors and seismic monitoring stations offshore along the subduction zone. —Evan Bush, NBC news, 31 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Late Latin subduction-, subductio withdrawal, from Latin subducere to withdraw, from sub- + ducere to draw — more at tow entry 1

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for subduction

• abduction
• adduction
• conduction
• construction
• deduction
• destruction
• eduction
• induction
• instruction
• obstruction
• production
• reduction