1
as in overcomes
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 conquers
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 suppresses
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 subdues
Royd subdues and binds her before taking off to restore the power.
—
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025
For those who are more into curves than angles, the Bialetti Moon takes all the functional elements of the moka stovetop espresso maker and subdues them with a rounded stainless steel silhouette.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 10 Oct. 2025
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025
For those who are more into curves than angles, the Bialetti Moon takes all the functional elements of the moka stovetop espresso maker and subdues them with a rounded stainless steel silhouette.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subdues
Verb
-
Auburn overcomes a 14-point deficit in the first half and race past the Longhorns behind 31 points from Keyshawn Hall.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Jan. 2026
-
By placing wind turbines in the air, this overcomes land use pressures and also makes the technology more flexible for places like cities.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cruise down Market Street—skimming past buzzing tech hubs—while your autonomous vehicle conquers steep hills and tight turns with uncanny precision.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The winner of a duel conquers his opponent’s square, gaining more ground – the loser leaves the game.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Thermal and pressure bonding of a capping layer The research team showed that thermal and pressure bonding of a capping layer to a perovskite surface suppresses defect initiation from iodide loss and enhances long-term stability.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The crab-eating frog, on the other hand, suppresses urea excretion during salt exposure, which allows the levels to rise safely.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And that defeats the entire purpose of the change.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Not that such nuance matters when the playoff defeats keep stacking up.—
Mike Sando,
New York Times,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
One topic of conversation dominates all the others.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The opposition dominates for spells but struggles to bypass his strong defence.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While the presumption was always that Messi would renew with the Herons, the news quells any lingering anxiety.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Twenty years later, an adult Guinevere is building her ghostwriting career when her estranged artist brother announces an installation titled Mother, which quells disturbing revelations in Guinevere.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Stylist Chrissy Rasmussen masters the layered medium-length look on clients.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
20 Dec. 2025
-
Bette Davis masters a rare light comedy turn as Sherry's long-suffering secretary, with Jimmy Durante as a visitor from Broadway and Wizard of Oz (1939) good witch Billie Burke as the overwhelmed matriarch of the Stanley clan.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Maximum deceleration subjects New Shepard crews to about five times the normal pull of gravity.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
20 Dec. 2025
-
The Miami Beach ordinance subjects people — mostly those who are homeless — to arrest for sleeping outside.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
7 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subdues.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subdues. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
