Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

subrogate

play
verb sub·ro·gate \ ˈsə-brō-ˌgāt \

Definition of subrogate

subrogated; subrogating
transitive verb
:to put in the place of another; especially :to substitute (something or someone, such as a second creditor) for another with regard to a legal right or claim

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
alt-59c4207ecf106
Let's Talk 'Tea'
alt-59c448f88ea38
Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'
image1644821030
These Are Fighting Words

Origin and Etymology of subrogate

Middle English, from Latin subrogatus, past participle of subrogare, surrogare — more at surrogate

Law Dictionary

subrogate

play
transitive verb sub·ro·gate \ ˈsə-brō-ˌgāt \

legal Definition of subrogate

subrogated; subrogating
:to put in the place of another by the doctrine of subrogation :substitute (as a second creditor) for another with regard to a legal right or claim
  • subrogates the trustee to the priority and avoidance rights of certain unsecured creditors
  • —J. J. White and R. S. Summers
  • the surety who pays the principal obligation is subrogated…to the rights of the creditor
  • —Louisiana Civil Code

Origin and Etymology of subrogate

Latin subrogatus, past participle of subrogare surrogare to elect as a substitute, from sub- under + rogare to request

Learn More about subrogate

  1. See words that rhyme with subrogate

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up subrogate? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

yeasty

play

of yeast or being unsettled or frivolous

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. dotage, dotard a state or period of senile decay

  2. otherwise "in other respects"

  3. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  4. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  5. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

subrogate

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

  • young-plant-shoots
  • Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59c4207ecf106
Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

image1644821030
8 Words and Phrases from Boxing and Wrestling

Common terms that come from boxing and wrestling

alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

image536372841
Silent Letters

When each letter can be seen but not heard

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game