Synonyms of sub

sub 1 of 3

noun (1)

as in submarine

a large sandwich on a long split roll

we shared a tuna sub at lunch

Synonyms & Similar Words

• submarine
• hero
• torpedo
• grinder
• hoagie
• Italian sandwich
• po'boy
• Cuban sandwich

sub

2 of 3

noun (2)

ˈsəb 

as in substitute

a person or thing that takes the place of another

we had a sub in English today, so we didn't get our test results back

Synonyms & Similar Words

• substitute
• replacement
• backup
• surrogate
• assistant
• stand-in
• cover
• reserve
• relief
• proxy
• pinch hitter
• designated hitter
• fill-in
• locum tenens
• alternate
• deputy
• second
• delegate
• factor
• agent
• makeshift
• rep
• representative
• commissary
• apology
• attorney
• assignee
• successor
• stopgap
• procurator
• envoy
• understudy
• reliever
• superseder

sub

3 of 3

verb

as in to substitute

to serve as a replacement usually for a time only

the weekend anchor is subbing for the station's main anchor all this week

she subbed for middle school teachers in the district as needed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• substitute
• spell
• cover
• stand in
• take over
• fill in
• step in
• pinch-hit
• double (as)
• relieve
• understudy

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sub

Noun

Could this actually be a resurrection of the sword-and-sorcery fantasy sub-genre? —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Companies will report quarterly earnings over the next month in one of the last opportunities for the sub-genre of video games related to major sports leagues to provide comprehensive revenue data. —Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 21 Jan. 2026

Verb

By the time Embiid helped put some distance between the Pacers, Maxey was subbed out for good late in the fourth and earned a rousing ovation from Sixers fans. —CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026

Adelman ended up subbing out Nnaji after a 12-second stint of playing time. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 19 Jan. 2026