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

ARMs may have gotten a bit of a bad rap during the subprime crisis, when mortgage lenders were offering – and borrowers gladly taking – all kinds of exotic loan products. —Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026

Rodgers, Zemaitis and Chandrasekhar all left Santander Consumer and are currently listed as senior executives at Exeter Finance, a subprime car lender where a number of top Santander Consumer employees have landed. —Conrad Wilson, ProPublica, 25 Mar. 2026

The housing market was about to collapse due to risky subprime loans. —Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026

In an email, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson who did not provide their name rejected claims of subprime conditions, saying Camp East Montana detainees receive food, water and medical treatment in a facility that is regularly cleaned. —ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026

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