subsume

verb

sub·​sume səb-ˈsüm 

subsumed; subsuming

transitive verb

: to include or place within something larger or more comprehensive : encompass as a subordinate or component element

red, green, and yellow are subsumed under the term "color"

subsumable

səb-ˈsü-mə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms of subsume

• include
• contain
• involve
• encompass
• carry

Examples of subsume in a Sentence

games and team sports are subsumed under the classification of “recreation”

Recent Examples on the Web

Here, as with Job — a recent tech thriller onstage that was far more shocking than Data, though also quite neat — theater is still straining to address the question of how people get subsumed by Silicon Valley’s layers of compromise. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 29 Jan. 2026

Those subsumed by viruses or mold have been at the core of the experience, and Capcom has always worked to upgrade them. —Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026

Feingold watched with alarm as, in the wake of 9/11, the country’s immigration policy was subsumed by counterterrorism. —Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026

In daytime, the rumbling of the steppe is subsumed by bright, relentless light. —Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin subsumere, from Latin sub- + sumere to take up — more at consume

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for subsume

• assume
• backroom
• ballroom
• barroom
• bathroom
• bedroom
• boardroom
• bridegroom
• classroom
• cloakroom
• consume
• costume

Kids Definition

subsume

verb

sub·​sume səb-ˈsüm 

subsumed; subsuming

: to include or place within something larger or more general

red and green are subsumed under the term "color"