subsidiary

1 of 2

adjective

sub·​sid·​i·​ary səb-ˈsi-dē-ˌer-ē 

-ˈsi-də-rē

1

a

: furnishing aid or support : auxiliary

subsidiary details

b

: of secondary importance

a subsidiary stream

2

: of, relating to, or constituting a subsidy

a subsidiary payment to an ally

subsidiarily

səb-ˌsi-dē-ˈer-ə-lē 

adverb

subsidiary

2 of 2

noun

plural subsidiaries

: one that is subsidiary

especially : a company wholly controlled by another

Examples of subsidiary in a Sentence

Noun

one of the company's foreign subsidiaries

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher. —Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025

Google’s subsidiary company already has exclusive distribution rights for the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package in a seven-year, $14 billion tie-up. —Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Noun

Meanwhile, Google uses videos from its YouTube subsidiary to train its industry-leading Veo 3 model — something creators don’t directly get paid for and can’t opt out of. —Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 31 Oct. 2025

Waymo is a self-driving vehicle subsidiary of Google’s parent, Alphabet. —Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin subsidiarius, from subsidium reserve troops

First Known Use

Adjective

1543, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1603, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for subsidiary

• accretionary
• apothecary
• bicentenary
• certiorari
• concessionary
• concretionary
• confectionary
• confectionery
• constabulary
• contemporary
• deflationary
• depositary

Kids Definition

subsidiary

1 of 2 adjective

sub·​sid·​iary

səb-ˈsid-ē-ˌer-ē,

-ˈsid-ə-rē

: of secondary importance

subsidiary streams

subsidiary

2 of 2 noun

plural subsidiaries

: one that is subsidiary

especially : a company wholly controlled by another

Legal Definition

subsidiary

noun

sub·​sid·​i·​ary

səb-ˈsi-dē-ˌer-ē, -ˈsi-də-rē

plural subsidiaries

: a company having the majority of its stock owned by another company compare affiliate

Note: The parent company of a subsidiary generally has the same policy-making powers as any majority owner and can do such things as appoint directors and hire officers. The subsidiary is controlled by the parent through these powers, and the parent may be held liable for the acts of the subsidiary if the subsidiary is found to be an instrumentality of the parent.

subsidiary adjective