subprime

adjective

sub·​prime ˈsəb-ˌprīm 

1

: having or being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate and is extended chiefly to a borrower who has a poor credit rating or is judged to be a potentially high risk for default (as due to low income)

subprime mortgages

a subprime loan

2

: extending or obtaining a subprime loan

subprime lenders

subprime borrowers

Examples of subprime in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are also growing disparities in wage growth between high- and low-income Americans, as well as an increase in both subprime and superprime loans, according to recent TransUnion data. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 Nov. 2025

The cost of health insurance is skyrocketing, and delinquency rates for subprime auto loans and student debt are rising. —MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025

Mortgage rates remain above 6%, and the number of subprime borrowers defaulting on their auto loans has doubled over the past four years, according to Fitch Ratings. —David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 Nov. 2025

The issue came to the forefront when Kyle Bass, a hedge-fund manager who cemented his reputation by betting against the subprime-mortgage boom, in 2008, announced plans to intervene in the looming water crisis. —Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1995, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for subprime

• airtime
• bedtime
• daytime
• downtime
• enzyme
• halftime
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• meantime
• nighttime

Legal Definition

subprime

adjective

sub·​prime ˈsəb-ˌprīm 

1

: having or being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate and is extended especially to low-income borrowers

subprime mortgages

2

: extending or obtaining a subprime loan

subprime lenders

subprime borrowers