subunit
noun
sub·unit
ˈsəb-ˌyü-nət 
variants
or less commonly sub-unit
plural subunits also sub-units
: a unit that is part of a larger unit : a subdivision of a unit
In the U.S. Army's case … the smallest subunit is the squad (nine to twelve individuals under a sergeant).—
Norman Friedman
Norman FriedmanBecause of a quirk in the replicative machinery, when a strand of DNA is duplicated during mitosis, a few subunits at one end are always lost.—John Rennie
John RennieExamples of subunit in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The group has already begun this process through subunit releases, in which smaller configurations of the group will release a single or EP separate from Seventeen albums.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2025
On August 28, SM made an abrupt announcement about Moon Tae-il, the 30-year-old K-pop singer who debuted under the stage name Taeil in 2016 and performed in the NCT subunits NCT U and NCT 127.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
That's the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which is another subunit of the Treasury Department, distinct from the IRS.
—Tax Notes Staff, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Notably, the genetic sequence of a key component of the virus — the hemagglutinin subunit — was an exact match to the hemagglutinin sequences from two earlier human cases tied to the dairy outbreak, officials said.
—Andrew Joseph, STAT, 16 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for subunit
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Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2025
On August 28, SM made an abrupt announcement about Moon Tae-il, the 30-year-old K-pop singer who debuted under the stage name Taeil in 2016 and performed in the NCT subunits NCT U and NCT 127.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
That's the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which is another subunit of the Treasury Department, distinct from the IRS.
—Tax Notes Staff, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Notably, the genetic sequence of a key component of the virus — the hemagglutinin subunit — was an exact match to the hemagglutinin sequences from two earlier human cases tied to the dairy outbreak, officials said.
—Andrew Joseph, STAT, 16 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for subunit
Cite this Entry
“Subunit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subunit. Accessed 17 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
subunit
noun
sub·unit
ˈsəb-ˌyü-nət
: a unit that forms a discrete part of a more comprehensive unit
subunits of a protein
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