subject

noun

sub·ject | \ ˈsəb-jikt

, -(ˌ)jekt\

Definition of subject

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

2a : 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

3a : 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

subject

adjective

Definition of subject (Entry 2 of 3)

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

2a : 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

verb

sub·ject | \ səb-ˈjekt

, ˈsəb-ˌjekt\

subjected; subjecting; subjects

Definition of subject (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : 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

Other Words from subject Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about subject

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Other Words from subject

Noun

subjectless \ ˈsəb-jikt-ləs

, -(ˌ)jekt- \ adjective

Verb

subjection \ səb-ˈjek-shən

\ noun

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.

Verb

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Determining whether there are connections between cases requires interviews with each subject or their legal guardians. — Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Missed phone calls, changing stories: How E. coli spread at the San Diego County Fair," 17 Sep. 2019 The hourlong, in-depth look at the issue tackles subjects such as the often untold story of Legionnaires disease and how much Michigan officials, including Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, knew. — cleveland.com, "UAW, GM resume talks amid nationwide auto worker strike: The Flyover," 17 Sep. 2019 Now the subject of impeachment has come around again, not with President Donald Trump in the crosshairs but with Kavanaugh. — Richard Wolf, USA TODAY, "Democrats are calling for Brett Kavanaugh to be impeached. How would that work?," 16 Sep. 2019 Upon further investigation, the subject (Arianna McKinney) was found and arrested for failure to stop and give information and driving while intoxicated. — Houston Chronicle, "West University Place Police Department weekly report," 16 Sep. 2019 Though court records identify the subject of red flag orders, this news organization is only naming those individuals whose cases also led to criminal charges. — John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, "How California’s ‘red flag’ law thwarted gun threats at Sunnyvale Ford, Netflix, and Palo Alto City Hall," 15 Sep. 2019 The next, the test subjects might be clad only in underwear in the cold. — Rachel S. Gross, The Atlantic, "The Military Origins of Layering," 15 Sep. 2019 Cybersecurity companies that perform vulnerability testing generally follow a very specific procedure for notification that includes individually reaching out to subjects and constructively helping them fix problems before publicizing them. — Jessica Huseman, ProPublica, "Report on Election Security Gains Attention, and a Sharp Rebuke," 13 Sep. 2019 Name a subject in advanced math, and he’s written about it. — Dave Linkletter, Popular Mechanics, "Mathematicians Are So Close to Cracking This 82-Year-Old Riddle," 13 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Sitcoms have also, historically, been subject to derision for their paint-by-numbers plotting, hokey stage sets, and canned laughter. — Adam Wilson, Harper's magazine, "Good Bad Bad Good," 16 Sep. 2019 While cities would still be banned from expanding tighter rent limits on newer properties, millions of new housing units would be subject to a legal limit on rent increases. — Matt Levin, The Mercury News, "Big rent hikes are about to be illegal in California. Here’s what you should know," 15 Sep. 2019 The sheriff is subject to the direction of the mayor’s office and works under a civilian director of public safety. — Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post, "“Wasn’t suited to be sheriff”: Patrick Firman’s resignation follows years of lacking respect, ongoing jail trouble," 13 Sep. 2019 Candidates who interrupt will be subject to having their time reduced later on. — NBC News, "Full transcript: Democratic debate in Houston," 13 Sep. 2019 The rule defined which waterways are subject to federal regulation. — BostonGlobe.com, "Trump administration to drop Obama-era water protection rule - The Boston Globe," 13 Sep. 2019 For example, a river flowing into California from other parts of the country might not have been subject to protections as stringent as California and could carry in sediment or pollution. — Kurtis Alexander, SFChronicle.com, "California protects itself from Trump’s rollback of Clean Water Act," 12 Sep. 2019 John Deere, an American tractor-maker, has spent four years facing down a rebellion from farmers angry at being subject to similar restrictions. — The Economist, "The Internet of Things will bring the internet’s business model into the rest of the world," 12 Sep. 2019 Some legal experts have made the case that email can be subject to copyright protection. — Kate Cox, Ars Technica, "Forwarding email is a crime, Jerry Falwell Jr. says after leaks to media," 12 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Competent, established, and experienced agents have no incentive to subject themselves to this legislation, and its overly burdensome procedures and oversight. — Stephen Means, cleveland.com, "Ohio State football considered playoff team in ESPN’s recent bowl projections: Buckeye Breakfast," 17 Sep. 2019 Liberals often maintain that true love of country means calling the nation to its best self and thus subjecting it to criticism. — Lionel Shriver, Harper's magazine, "Patrios," 16 Sep. 2019 Why not fully explain the problem instead of freezing your account and then subjecting you to a seemingly endless cycle of ID verification requests? — Christopher Elliott, King Features Syndicate, The Mercury News, "Problem Solved: Venmo payment could not be completed, now what?," 15 Sep. 2019 Why not fully explain the problem instead of freezing your account and then subjecting you to a seemingly endless cycle of ID verification requests? — Christopher Elliott, courant.com, "Problem Solved: Rent money sent via Venmo now in limbo," 15 Sep. 2019 The California Vehicle Code subjects them to the same road rules as two-ton SUVs, but Berkeley has some discretion in how to enforce it, Arreguín said. — Rachel Swan, SFChronicle.com, "Berkeley cyclists cry foul over $238 citations for rolling through stop signs," 11 Sep. 2019 His experience is shared by many other Muslims living in Michigan and across the U.S. who say that a FBI terrorism watch list has subjected them to years of profiling, harassment, missed flights, and abuse. — Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan Muslims hope judge's ruling against terror watch list ends harassment by feds," 9 Sep. 2019 After all, this is the same governor who didn’t hesitate to use the special-session process to target transgender individuals and subject them to the threat of verbal and physical abuse, all for the cause of solving a non-existent problem. — Gilbert Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "Why Texas needs a special session on guns," 6 Sep. 2019 Pakistan has offered to take action against anti-India jihadi groups and subject itself to verification by American and British Intelligence. — Johann Chacko, Quartz India, "Like Pakistan, India may soon face the catastrophic costs of steroid-driven nationalism," 3 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'subject.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for subject

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

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Dictionary Entries near subject

Statistics for subject

Last Updated

10 Oct 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for subject

The first known use of subject was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for subject

subject

noun

English Language Learners Definition of subject

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the person or thing that is being discussed or described

: an area of knowledge that is studied in school

: a person or thing that is being dealt with in a particular way

subject

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of subject (Entry 2 of 2)

: under the control of a ruler

See the full definition for subject in the English Language Learners Dictionary

subject

noun

sub·ject | \ ˈsəb-jikt

Kids Definition of subject

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : the person or thing discussed : topic She's the subject of rumors. Let's change the subject.

2 : an area of knowledge that is studied in school Geography is my favorite subject.

3 : a person who owes loyalty to a monarch or state

4 : a person under the authority or control of another

5 : the word or group of words about which the predicate makes a statement

6 : a person or animal that is studied or experimented on

subject

adjective

Kids Definition of subject (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : owing obedience or loyalty to another The people were subject to their king.

2 : possible or likely to be affected by The schedule is subject to change. The area is subject to flooding.

3 : depending on I'll send the samples subject to your approval.

subject

verb

sub·ject | \ səb-ˈjekt

subjected; subjecting

Kids Definition of subject (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : to bring under control or rule The Romans subjected much of Europe.

2 : to cause to put up with My parents are unwilling to subject us to embarrassment.

subject

noun

sub·ject | \ ˈsəb-jikt

Medical Definition of subject

1 : an individual whose reactions or responses are studied

2 : a dead body for anatomical study and dissection

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subject

noun

sub·ject | \ ˈsəb-ˌjekt

Legal Definition of subject

: 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