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

Likewise, securing and even identifying rights continues to be a problem, which can even extend to subtitles, which might be copyrighted and need to be duplicated, causing unnecessary expenses. — John Bleasdale, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026

The subtitle of the newest Spider-Man movie, Brand New Day, implies a grand reset. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026

Verb

Every episode of a show needs to be completely produced and dubbed or subtitled into dozens of languages before any episode can debut. — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026

The demand for more from the franchise prompted the animation adaptation, dubbed and subtitled in eight languages, on Crunchyroll. — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 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

• phytol
• 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