subtitle

1 of 2

noun

sub·​ti·​tle ˈsəb-ˌtī-tᵊl 

1

: a secondary or explanatory title

2

: a printed statement or fragment of dialogue appearing on the screen between the scenes of a silent movie or appearing as a translation at the bottom of the screen during the scenes of a movie or television show in a foreign language

subtitle

2 of 2

verb

subtitled; subtitling; subtitles

transitive verb

: to give a subtitle to

Examples of subtitle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

One such clip has been circulating on Chinese social media networks for more than a year and appears to have originally been created for a domestic Russian audience, with Chinese subtitles added later. —Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2025

Johnson should have asked subtitles be added to the video boards.. —Vivian Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2025

Verb

Before the streamer boom, Nordic Noir already introduced the world to the possibility of subtitling TV. —John Hopewell, Variety, 26 Mar. 2025

Nyoni wisely subtitles the whole film so that even non-Zambians can be immersed in this twining stream of words without worrying too much about the switching currents. —Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1815, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1830, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for subtitle

• title
• vital
• entitle
• recital

Kids Definition

subtitle

noun

sub·​ti·​tle

ˈsəb-ˌtīt-ᵊl

1

: a secondary or explanatory title

2

: a printed statement or bit of dialogue appearing on the screen between the scenes of a silent movie or at the bottom of the screen during the scenes of a television show or movie for viewers with hearing loss or as a translation of a foreign language

subtitle verb