subsidiary

play

adjective sub·sid·i·ary \səb-ˈsi-dē-ˌer-ē, -ˈsi-də-rē\

Definition of subsidiary

1a : furnishing aid or support : auxiliary subsidiary detailsb : of secondary importance a subsidiary stream
2 : of, relating to, or constituting a subsidy a subsidiary payment to an ally

subsidiarily

play \-ˌsi-dē-ˈer-ə-lē\ adverb

See subsidiary defined for English-language learners

See subsidiary defined for kids

Recent Examples of subsidiary from the Web

Swedish bank says U.K. branch operations may become subsidiaryHandelsbanken has 207 branches in the U.K. as growth continues Follow @Brexit for all the latest news, and sign up to our daily Brexit Bulletin newsletter.

— frances schwartzkopff, Bloomberg.com, "Handelsbanken Boosts U.K. Staff Despite Brexit Uncertainty," 18 July 2017
In his role at HSC, Jakubowski is responsible for all government relations and public/community development at the hospital, its foundation and all subsidiary programs.

— Courant Community, "Community News for the West Hartford Edition," 17 July 2017
The old place eventually assumed subsidiary medical roles until it was razed in 1972.

— darryl levings, kansascity.com, "How KU Med came to KCK (and not Topeka)," 9 June 2017
Bought in 2016 for $6 billion by HNA Group and its subsidiary Tianjin Tianhai Investment Co., the company remains rooted in Southern California and is growing and evolving.

— hannah madans, Orange County Register, "From box mover to software maker: Ingram Micro thrives under new owners," 21 May 2017
Some 18 months after the e-commerce titan carved off its payments subsidiary—

— steven russolillo, WSJ, "EBay’s Single Life Has Its Ups and Downs," 24 Jan. 2017
Subsidiary tunes seldom heard, and not meant to be heard prominently, were everywhere.

— james r. oestreich, New York Times, "Review: ‘La Bohème,’ in All Its Excessive Glory," 29 Sep. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'subsidiary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of subsidiary

Latin subsidiarius, from subsidium reserve troops

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1543

See Words from the same year

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

subsidiary

noun sub·sid·i·ary

Definition of subsidiary

plural

subsidiaries

: one that is subsidiary; especially : a company wholly controlled by another

See subsidiary defined for English-language learners

Examples of subsidiary in a Sentence

one of the company's foreign subsidiaries

Recent Examples of subsidiary from the Web

The company’s Westminster Security subsidiary is now TBI Smart Home Solutions.

— pat setter, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Make smart tech choices for your new smart home," 15 July 2017
A Glendale attorney is representing a former employee of a Nordstrom’s subsidiary who filed a lawsuit against the company Monday, alleging employees were pressured to work overtime but were not paid for it.

— andy nguyen, Glendale News-Press, "Glendale attorney represents man suing Nordstrom-owned company," 13 July 2017
The provision of teeth and jaws, adapted to effect the work of death most speedily, is highly subsidiary to the accomplishment of the desirable end.

— brian switek, Scientific American Blog Network, "Nothing but the Tooth," 10 July 2017
DeepMind, now a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet (goog, +1.53%), recruited three University of Alberta professors from to lead the new research lab.

— jonathan vanian, Fortune, "Google’s DeepMind Turns to Canada for Artificial Intelligence Boost," 5 July 2017
The terminal is a partner of APM Terminals, a subsidiary of A.P. Moller-Maersk.

— elizabeth koh, miamiherald, "Cargo delivery at PortMiami terminal paralyzed after cyber attack," 29 June 2017
A year ago, the European Commission ordered Apple to repay $14.5 billion in back taxes, plus interest, to the European Union after spending years funneling its profits through an Irish subsidiary in an attempt to lower its tax bill.

— vanityfair.com, "Google Just Got Some Record-Breaking Bad News," 27 June 2017
More: U of L Foundation says more analysis needed after first meeting since blistering audit As for the golf course, it was acquired by a foundation subsidiary on behalf of athletics in 2013.

— steve jones, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville athletics budget chief: Audit overplayed department's reliance on foundation," 23 June 2017
The mine, 66 percent held by Rio subsidiary Turquoise Hill Resources, will account for one third of Mongolia’s gross national product by 2020, according to estimates.

— Washington Post, "Corruption, economic crisis overshadow Mongolian election," 23 June 2017

First Known Use of subsidiary

1603

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

SUBSIDIARY Defined for English Language Learners

subsidiary

play

adjective

Definition of subsidiary for English Language Learners

: not as important as something else
: owned or controlled by another company

subsidiary

noun

Definition of subsidiary for English Language Learners

: a company that is owned or controlled by another company

Law Dictionary

subsidiary

noun sub·sid·i·ary \səb-ˈsi-dē-ˌer-ē, -ˈsi-də-rē\

Legal Definition of subsidiary

plural

subsidiaries

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

subsidiary

adjective

Additional Notes on subsidiary

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.