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

When Benedict Nicolson published a seminal monograph on the artist in 1968, his subtitle was Painter of Light. —Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026

Over 70% of Netflix viewing globally happens with subtitles or dubs, Kapoor Sheikh notes, and Indian titles are finding audiences in both high- and low-diaspora markets alike – from Argentina and Egypt to South Korea, Morocco, Bolivia and Taiwan. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026

Verb

The movies weren’t subtitled, and sometimes a screening included a live narrator doing simultaneous translation into Romanian. —Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

Enteractive, which is part of Splendid Group, will handle services including archiving, packaging and distribution, metadata management and editing and subtitling. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026

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