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
With weak credit standards and features like prepayment penalties, interest-only payments, balloon payments and negative amortization, the subprime mortgage space was not concerned about the borrowers’ ability to repay the mortgage.
—
Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
Left unsaid was the fact that Steyer’s firm had extensive financial ties to San Diego’s Accredited Home Lenders, one of the biggest subprime mortgage lenders in the country.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
Going back to 1990, the only other period in which the ratio was that high was 2005, at the height of the subprime bubble.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Large investment firms such as Blackstone entered the single-family housing industry after the subprime mortgage crisis in 2007 .
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subprime
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Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
Left unsaid was the fact that Steyer’s firm had extensive financial ties to San Diego’s Accredited Home Lenders, one of the biggest subprime mortgage lenders in the country.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
Going back to 1990, the only other period in which the ratio was that high was 2005, at the height of the subprime bubble.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Large investment firms such as Blackstone entered the single-family housing industry after the subprime mortgage crisis in 2007 .
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subprime
Cite this Entry
“Subprime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subprime. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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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
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