subsidiary

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

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of subsidiary

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

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subsidiarily

play \səb-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

The other members could either stay in the ie, marry into a new one (daughters), or start subsidiary branches (sons).

— kathryn schulz, The New Yorker, "Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry," 23 Apr. 2018
Because his father is an Earl, James has taken on the subsidiary title of Viscount Severn, rather than Prince.

— kate samuelson, Time, "Your Complete Guide to the British Royal Family Tree and Line of Succession," 23 Apr. 2018
And there are subsidiary questions that run down from there: Which sensors create the best data?

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "The Most Important Self-Driving Car Announcement Yet," 28 Mar. 2018
Nor are the numbers for the subsidiary characters compelling.

— jesse green, New York Times, "Review: ‘Frozen’ Hits Broadway With a Little Magic and Some Icy Patches," 22 Mar. 2018
God only knows how many lives have been saved, and subsidiary crimes avoided, because of these dedicated men and women.

— jay r. jordan, Houston Chronicle, "Houstonians arrested with enough fentanyl to 'kill everyone in Toledo’," 22 Mar. 2018
The life sciences subsidiary provides supply chain, compliance, finance and technology support to biopharma and medical device companies.

— sarah hauer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee's Dohmen Company is selling its Dohmen Life Science Services Subsidiary," 20 Feb. 2018
If these issues were found in only one part of DHS and its subsidiary agencies, there might be an option for reform.

— matt ford, New Republic, "Dismantle the Department of Homeland Security," 21 Feb. 2018
Tech giants Apple, Facebook and Google are the latest companies to challenge subsidiary Duke Energy Carolina’s plans to raise electricity bills for businesses and residents in Charlotte and other parts of the state.

— deon roberts, charlotteobserver, "Apple, Facebook, Google oppose Duke Energy rate hikes | Charlotte Observer," 25 Jan. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Economics Terms

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

subsidiary

noun

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 Tucson missile operations, formerly part of Hughes Aircraft Co., are a subsidiary of Raytheon Co. of Waltham, Mass., which also includes integrated defense systems, intelligence and information services, and space and airborne systems.

— ryan randazzo, azcentral, "Raytheon's $550 million expansion in Tucson allows for cutting-edge missile testing," 11 May 2018
The College is a subsidiary of Good Samaritan Hospital, a partner of the TriHealth Inc. integrated health care system.

— cincinnati enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "If Healthcare is your Passion, Check out Good Samaritan College!," 7 May 2018
Religion News Service is a subsidiary of the Religion News Foundation, which supports the Religion Newswriters Association.

— sarah jones, The New Republic, "Inside the Spectacular Implosion of Religion News Service," 27 Apr. 2018
Both states still get a portion of the sales and are subsidiaries of Interstate Logos, which handles sign programs in 23 states.

— Washington Post, "Getting featured on interstate logo signs is tricky business," 12 Apr. 2018
GuideWell Health is a subsidiary of GuideWell, which is also Florida Blue’s parent company.

— naseem s. miller, OrlandoSentinel.com, "GuideWell adds health care facilities," 25 Feb. 2018
Under the contract, to a subsidiary of the conglomerate that helped rebuild the World Trade Center after the terror attacks, the offices should be complete by June 2019.

— carol rosenberg, miamiherald, "America was at war with al-Qaida by 9/11, judge rules. When did it start? Stay tuned. | Miami Herald," 26 Apr. 2018
Calumet Superior operates as a subsidiary of Calumet Specialty Products Partners, which sold the plant to Husky Energy last year.

— CBS News, "Explosion rocks Wisconsin refinery, injuring at least 11, forcing evacuations," 26 Apr. 2018
Calumet Superior operates as a subsidiary of Calumet Specialty Products Partners, which sold the plant to Husky Energy last year.

— Washington Post, "Explosion rocks Wisconsin refinery, forcing evacuations," 26 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of subsidiary

1603

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Business Terms

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

SUBSIDIARY Defined for English Language Learners

subsidiary

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

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.

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