subgroup

noun

sub·​group ˈsəb-ˌgrüp 

1

: a subordinate group whose members usually share some common differential quality

2

: a subset of a mathematical group that is itself a group

Examples of subgroup in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Firefighters aged 18 and older, including retirees, emergency medical responders and people from all firefighting subgroups — whether volunteers or career and of any rank are able to participate in the study, program officials said. — Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026

So what your company is doing is finding patients with similar symptoms, grouping them together, and then testing drugs on those subgroups so the trial is more likely to be successful? — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026

Not only did the scale of the broader violence across the South indicate a campaign to mass-murder an ethnic subgroup for political purposes, but Tillman, perhaps the most infamous of the Hamburg murderers, never denied the attack’s goals. — Jacob Ware, The Conversation, 31 July 2026

The board must demand relentless examination of data to understand how each subgroup of students in the district is performing. — Elaine Gantz Berman, Denver Post, 27 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for subgroup

• newsgroup
• recoup
• regroup
• workgroup
• coop
• coupe
• croup
• droop
• drupe
• dupe
• group
• hoop

Kids Definition

subgroup

noun

sub·​group ˈsəb-ˌgrüp 

: a group whose members usually share some common quality that makes them different from the other members of a larger group to which they belong