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

Alternatively, perhaps nutrients enter the ocean not from below, but from above — meteorites that strike the surface ice and become subsumed and drawn into the ocean. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 9 Jan. 2026

Those thorny questions will subsume much of the energy at the Capitol. —Rachel E. Stassen-Berger, Des Moines Register, 8 Jan. 2026

All that remained were a couple of roofless outhouses subsumed by foliage. —Henry Wismayer, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2026

The films, and their subsequent press tours, subsumed the pop star into what some saw as an entirely different character, more similar to Glinda than to her previous self. —Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 5 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"