plural subjects
1
: the person or thing that is being discussed or described : topic
The new museum is the subject of an article in today's paper.
Death is a difficult subject that few people like to talk about.
I need to break the news to her, but I'm not sure how to bring up the subject.
If you're interested in linguistics, I know an excellent book on the/that subject.
an excellent book on the subject of linguistics
While we're on the subject of [=talking about] work, have you met the new boss?
Every time I talk to her, we seem to get on/onto the subject of work. [=we start talking about work]
These meetings would be much shorter if we could keep him from getting off the subject.
I didn't want to talk about work, so I changed the subject. [=started a new topic of conversation]
When he started getting upset, I dropped the subject. [=stopped talking about that topic]
The morality of capital punishment is a frequent subject of/for debate.
2
: an area of knowledge that is studied in school
Chemistry was my favorite subject in high school.
The classes cover a variety of subject areas, including mathematics and English.
3
: a person or thing that is being dealt with in a particular way
—+ of
He was the subject of a criminal investigation. [=he was investigated to find out if he had committed a crime]
She was the subject of a lawsuit.
4
: someone or something that is shown in a photograph, painting, etc.
Love between a mother and child is the subject of many of her paintings.
The photographer's principal subjects were poor immigrant workers.
What kind of exposure should I use for a dark subject on a light background?
5
: a person or animal that is used in an experiment, study, etc.
Each subject was asked to fill out a questionnaire.
The hospital is recruiting test subjects for the study.
6
grammar
: a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that performs the action of a verb in a sentence
In English, the subject goes before the verb and the object comes after.
"He" is the subject (of the verb "kissed") in the sentence "He kissed me."
7
: a person who lives in a country that is ruled by a king or queen : a citizen of a monarchy
British subjects
: under the control of a ruler
subject peoples
—often + toThey were subject to the emperor.
Cite this Entry
“Subject.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/subject. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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