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

Kapoor, who formerly lived in a waterfront estate in the Cocoplum neighborhood of Coral Gables, made his first appearance in Miami federal court on Friday afternoon to face charges stemming from his role as the chief executive officer of Location Ventures and its subsidiary URBIN. —Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026

Long-term commitment Abel has been known internally as a hands-on operator with a deep bench of subsidiary CEOs reporting to him. —Yun Li, CNBC, 28 Feb. 2026

Noun

NewJeans, one of the most exciting and innovative recent K-pop groups, has been largely inactive since 2024 due to a baroque legal dispute with the HYBE subsidiary ADOR. —Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026

And most famously, the place where fans tend to interact with Live Nation's subsidiary Ticketmaster most directly, has a stranglehold over the ticketing market. —Dana Taylor, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026

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