1
as in to overcome
to achieve a victory over
subdued her fear of the dark by joining a club for spelunkers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to dominate
to bring under one's control by force of arms
subdued the rebels and sent their leaders to the gallows
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to quell
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
labored through the night to subdue the river's rising waters by building a wall of sandbags around their property
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subdue
The Giants won in all kinds of encouraging ways while subduing the wild-card-leading Cubs in a 5-2 victory Tuesday night.
—
Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
The agent is then seen placing his knee near Ricardo’s neck, whose face appears bloodied from his fall, in an attempt to subdue him, before taking him away.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025
Chatter in a crowded room, the grind of metal on train tracks and the boisterous wall of sound backstage at a gig were also effectively subdued but not completely obliterated.
—New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2025
Krolla didn’t appear to be leaning in any direction, but did question Morton repeatedly on whether an officer should shoot into a crowded situation - like a football game - to subdue an active shooter.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subdue
Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
The agent is then seen placing his knee near Ricardo’s neck, whose face appears bloodied from his fall, in an attempt to subdue him, before taking him away.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025
Chatter in a crowded room, the grind of metal on train tracks and the boisterous wall of sound backstage at a gig were also effectively subdued but not completely obliterated.
—New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2025
Krolla didn’t appear to be leaning in any direction, but did question Morton repeatedly on whether an officer should shoot into a crowded situation - like a football game - to subdue an active shooter.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subdue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subdue
Verb
-
Outperforming some of them on the pitch is one thing, but Newcastle cannot yet overcome the off-field strength of the ‘Big Six’.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Part of the presentation focused on helping people overcome their fear of being ostracized for having plants seen as too wild.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The division’s ‘Big Six’ dominated spending again, though that was hardly new.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
In the Chinese foldable phone category, Huawei dominates with a 75% share of the market, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Zips are viewed as one of the worst teams in the FBS this season, and the debut game against Wyoming did nothing to quell those concerns.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Trump has also repeatedly threatened to send in National Guard troops to assist the efforts and to help quell violent crime, which the president has tried to paint as out of control but in fact has been steadily decreasing in Chicago in recent years.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Colleyville Heritage defeated Richland 30-21 in a game halted early in the third quarter after a second lightning delay Friday at Mustang-Panther Stadium.—
Jordan Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Dryden also represented his country several times, most notably helping Team Canada defeat the Soviet Union in the 1972 Summit Series.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Deftones’ History on the Streaming Ranking Deftones first conquered the Hard Rock Streaming Songs list just last month.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Netanyahu initially said Israel would conquer all of Gaza after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Eight engines, four water tenders, five dozers and two hand crews have been working to suppress the fire.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
This ensures lithium is deposited smoothly across the anode, effectively suppressing dendrite growth even under rapid-charging conditions.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Chelsea have mastered the art of the consistent grind.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
But to unlock it, individuals must first master themselves.—
Elan Gepner-Dales,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Alderman Raymond Lopez, a Democrat from Chicago’s 15th Ward, wants Trump to send the National Guard to his city because of the violent crime to which people in his city are subjected.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
-
If an investor who has not sold the IP expatriates for example, valuation of the interest will be included in determining the investor’s net worth and may subject the investor to unexpected taxes as a covered expatriate, for both income and estate tax purposes.—
Priya Prakash Royal Esq. LL.M. MBA AEP TEP,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subdue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subdue. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share