subset

noun

sub·​set ˈsəb-ˌset 

1

: a set each of whose elements is an element of an inclusive set

2

: division, portion

a subset of our community

Examples of subset in a Sentence

The set {1,2,3} is a subset of the set {1,2,3,4,5}.

Only a small subset of the patients in the study experienced these side effects.

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s only a small subset of patients. —Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 7 Nov. 2025

Bean acknowledged that measuring nebulous concepts like reasoning requires evaluating a subset of tasks, and that such selection will invariably be imperfect. —Jared Perlo, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2025

Another tax break that could apply to a subset of filers is the bigger cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, or SALT. —Kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025

Today, search engines are a very small part of our referral traffic, and third-party agents are a very small subset of that. —Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 31 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for subset

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• brevet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette

Kids Definition

subset

noun

sub·​set ˈsəb-ˌset 

: a mathematical set that is a part of another mathematical set

the set of even numbers is a subset of the set of all numbers