subsidy

noun sub·si·dy \ ˈsəb-sə-dē , -zə- \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of subsidy

plural subsidies

: a grant or gift of money: such as

a : a sum of money formerly granted by the British Parliament to the crown and raised by special taxation

b : money granted by one state to another

c : a grant by a government to a private person or company to assist an enterprise deemed advantageous to the public

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Examples of subsidy in a Sentence

The city is increasing subsidies for public transit.
government subsidies for farmers in case of crop failure

Recent Examples of subsidy from the Web

In January, protests erupted in Sudan after the government put forward a new budget that would have cut economic subsidies, possibly leading to higher consumer prices, while continuing to pour resources into military spending.

— sewell chan, New York Times, "Sudan’s President Orders Release of Political Prisoners," 10 Apr. 2018
Last year, Pennsylvania gave $239 million in subsidies to the horse racing industry — that’s more state money than the Health or Agriculture Departments get.

— aubrey nagle, Philly.com, "Kapler booed at Phillies home opener, Villanova champs join parade, bike lane debate continues | Morning Newsletter," 6 Apr. 2018
Wen, who has already qualified for tens of thousands of dollars in government subsidies, is sure to benefit from some of them.

— michael holtz, The Christian Science Monitor, "Beijing's message for young Taiwanese: We mean business," 29 Mar. 2018
The 40,000 homes is a reference to Marshall's plan to put up $100 million in subsidies to offer a $2,500 grant on each battery storage unit installed at 40,000 homes.

— megan geuss, Ars Technica, "Tesla virtual power plant may face headwinds under new South Australian premier," 19 Mar. 2018
Wisconsin beat out other states to land Foxconn, and among the inducements is some $4 billion in state and local subsidies.

— lee bergquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Foxconn says it will use water conservation practices at its Wisconsin manufacturing plant," 7 Mar. 2018
Perhaps most significantly, Trump has proposed cutting Medicaid subsidies by more than $1 trillion.

— Time, "Donald Trump Blamed the Florida School Shooting on Mental Illness. Here's What He's Done on the Issue," 15 Feb. 2018
The plan reprises proposals to curb crop insurance costs, cut student loan subsidies and reduce pension benefits for federal workers.

— andrew taylor, The Seattle Times, "Trump’s budget balloons deficits, cuts social safety net," 12 Feb. 2018
Even more specifically, the estimated $498 million in taxpayer subsidies for the stadium.

— michael taylor, San Antonio Express-News, "Super Bowl fans, and billionaire NFL owners, can thank taxpayers for the new Minneapolis stadium," 5 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of subsidy

Middle English subsidie, from Anglo-French, from Latin subsidium reserve troops, support, assistance, from sub- near + sedēre to sit — more at sub-, sit

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

subsidy Synonyms

Synonyms

allocation, allotment, annuity, appropriation, entitlement, grant;

foreign aid, relief, state aid;

advance, allowance, benefit, bequest, endowment, fund, legacy, stipend, trust, trust fund;

Other Economics Terms

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

SUBSIDY Defined for English Language Learners

subsidy

noun

Definition of subsidy for English Language Learners

: money that is paid usually by a government to keep the price of a product or service low or to help a business or organization to continue to function

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for subsidy Spanish Central: Translation of subsidy Nglish: Translation of subsidy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of subsidy for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about subsidy

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subsidy

Definition of subsidy

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Origin and Etymology of subsidy

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SUBSIDY Defined for English Language Learners

subsidy

Definition of subsidy for English Language Learners

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subsidy

Definition of subsidy

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Recent Examples of subsidy from the Web

Origin and Etymology of subsidy

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Synonyms

Related Words

Other Economics Terms

SUBSIDY Defined for English Language Learners

subsidy

Definition of subsidy for English Language Learners

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