subject

1 of 3

noun

sub·​ject ˈsəb-jikt 

-(ˌ)jekt

1

: one that is placed under authority or control: such as

a

: vassal

b(1)

: one subject to a monarch and governed by the monarch's law

(2)

: one who lives in the territory of, enjoys the protection of, and owes allegiance to a sovereign power or state

2

a

: that of which a quality, attribute, or relation may be affirmed or in which it may inhere

b

: substratum

especially : material or essential substance

c

: the mind, ego, or agent of whatever sort that sustains or assumes the form of thought or consciousness

3

a

: a department of knowledge or learning

b

: motive, cause

c(1)

: one that is acted on

the helpless subject of their cruelty

(2)

: an individual whose reactions or responses are studied

(3)

: a dead body for anatomical study and dissection

(4)

: a person who has engaged in activity that a federal prosecutor has identified as being within the scope of a federal grand jury investigation

Most white-collar criminal defendants started out as subjects of a grand jury investigation," said Bruce Green, a former federal prosecutor and a law professor at Fordham.

—Adam Serwer

d(1)

: something concerning which something is said or done

the subject of the essay

(2)

: something represented or indicated in a work of art

e(1)

: the term of a logical proposition that denotes the entity of which something is affirmed or denied

also : the entity denoted

(2)

: a word or word group denoting that of which something is predicated

f

: the principal melodic phrase on which a musical composition or movement is based

subjectless

ˈsəb-jikt-ləs 

-(ˌ)jekt-

adjective

subject

2 of 3

adjective

1

: owing obedience or allegiance to the power or dominion of another

2

a

: suffering a particular liability or exposure

subject to temptation

b

: having a tendency or inclination : prone

subject to colds

3

: contingent on or under the influence of some later action

the plan is subject to discussion

subject

3 of 3

verb

sub·​ject səb-ˈjekt 

ˈsəb-ˌjekt

subjected; subjecting; subjects

transitive verb

1

a

: to bring under control or dominion : subjugate

b

: to make (someone, such as oneself) amenable to the discipline and control of a superior

2

: to make liable : predispose

3

: to cause or force to undergo or endure (something unpleasant, inconvenient, or trying)

was subjected to constant verbal abuse

subjection

səb-ˈjek-shən 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• topic
• matter
• theme
• question
• motif

Adjective

• dependent
• conditional

Verb

• dominate
• subdue
• conquer
• overcome
• defeat
• subordinate

Choose the Right Synonym for subject

Noun

citizen, subject, national mean a person owing allegiance to and entitled to the protection of a sovereign state.

citizen is preferred for one owing allegiance to a state in which sovereign power is retained by the people and sharing in the political rights of those people.

the rights of a free citizen

subject implies allegiance to a personal sovereign such as a monarch.

the king's subjects

national designates one who may claim the protection of a state and applies especially to one living or traveling outside that state.

American nationals working in the Middle East

Adjective

liable, open, exposed, subject, prone, susceptible, sensitive mean being by nature or through circumstances likely to experience something adverse.

liable implies a possibility or probability of incurring something because of position, nature, or particular situation.

liable to get lost

open stresses a lack of barriers preventing incurrence.

a claim open to question

exposed suggests lack of protection or powers of resistance against something actually present or threatening.

exposed to infection

subject implies an openness for any reason to something that must be suffered or undergone.

all reports are subject to review

prone stresses natural tendency or propensity to incur something.

prone to delay

susceptible implies conditions existing in one's nature or individual constitution that make incurrence probable.

very susceptible to flattery

sensitive implies a readiness to respond to or be influenced by forces or stimuli.

unduly sensitive to criticism

Examples of subject in a Sentence

Noun

The new museum is the subject of an article in today's paper.

Death is a difficult subject that few people like to talk about.

I need to break the news to her, but I'm not sure how to bring up the subject.

If you're interested in linguistics, I know an excellent book on the subject.

an excellent book on the subject of linguistics

These meetings would be much shorter if we could keep him from getting off the subject.

The morality of capital punishment is a frequent subject of debate.

Chemistry was my favorite subject in high school.

The classes cover a variety of subject areas, including mathematics and English.

Adjective

your extra piano lesson on Tuesdays is subject to the availability of the music room

this type of wound is highly subject to infection

Verb

Attila the Hun subjected most of Europe to his barbaric pillage.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

More recently, in 2023, the release of The Little Mermaid featuring Halle Bailey, a Black woman, as Ariel was also the subject of review bombing, leading IMDb to filter out non-genuine reviews and issue a formal statement on the matter. —Braedon Montgomery, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

The study divided 54 subjects into three groups, and asked them to write several essays using OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s search engine, and nothing at all, respectively. —Time, 27 June 2025

Adjective

Without it, gray wolves will be subject only to state laws. —Jim Martin, Denver Post, 27 June 2025

The best way to begin is with a focused use case, such as optimizing subject lines or send times. —Tejas Manohar, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

Verb

Congress passed the law that led to its creation based on its power under the Constitution’s spending clause, which allows Congress to subject federal funds to certain requirements. —Naomi Cahn, The Conversation, 27 June 2025

Hwang loudly calls out the flaw of democracy that allows the barest of majorities to subject all to nightmarish policies — even more nightmarish for those who voted against them. —Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English suget, subget, from Anglo-French, from Latin subjectus one under authority & subjectum subject of a proposition, from masculine & neuter respectively of subjectus, past participle of subicere to subject, literally, to throw under, from sub- + jacere to throw — more at jet

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing subject

• change the subject
• drop the subject
• get on/onto the subject of
• short subject
• subject matter
• subject/object of ridicule
• subject to
• subject to change
• subject to review
• tool subject
• to subject (someone or something) to

Rhymes for subject

• affect
• aspect
• bedecked
• bisect
• collect
• connect
• correct
• deflect
• detect
• direct
• dissect
• effect

Kids Definition

subject

1 of 3 noun

sub·​ject ˈsəb-jikt 

1

a

: a person under the authority or control of another

b

: a person who owes loyalty to a monarch or state

2

a

: a department of knowledge or learning

b

: an individual (as a person or a mouse) that is studied or experimented on

c

: the person or thing discussed : topic

the subject of an essay

3

: a noun or term functioning as a noun about which something is stated in the predicate of a sentence

"child" in "the child threw the ball" is the subject

subject

2 of 3 adjective

1

: owing obedience or loyalty to another

2

a

: likely to be affected by

subject to temptation

b

: having a tendency

subject to catching colds

3

: depending on

subject to your approval

subject

3 of 3 verb

sub·​ject səb-ˈjekt 

1

a

: to bring under control or rule

b

: to make responsive to the discipline and control of a superior

2

: to make likely

his poor conduct subjected him to criticism

3

: to cause or force to put up with something difficult, unpleasant, or inconvenient

unwilling to subject us to embarrassment

subjection

səb-ˈjek-shən 

noun

Medical Definition

subject

noun

sub·​ject ˈsəb-jikt 

1

: an individual whose reactions or responses are studied

2

: a dead body for anatomical study and dissection

Legal Definition

subject

noun

sub·​ject ˈsəb-ˌjekt 

: the person upon whose life a life insurance policy is written and upon whose death the policy is payable : insured compare beneficiary sense b, policyholder