1
as in overcomes
to achieve a victory over
subdued her fear of the dark by joining a club for spelunkers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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
-
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
-
Jacen overcomes his fear and plays music for others.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The winner of a duel conquers his opponent’s square, gaining more ground – the loser leaves the game.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
-
For Nawaf Abdulhadi, joy comes when the choir conquers a difficult phrase in perfect unison.—
Billboard Arabia,
Billboard,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
This suppresses the release of the sleep hormone melatonin and promotes alertness.—
Rebecca Fearn,
SELF,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Richard Raffalow Valley Glen Navy defeats Cincinnati 35-13 in the Liberty Bowl and is ranked 22 in the latest AP poll.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Narrow defeats to a rejuvenated Milan and reigning champions Napoli were far easier to swallow, and a victory in Sardinia would have seen Roma stay within a point of the leading duo.—
Jack Bantock,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Of course, the whole shebang was greatly enhanced by the venue itself, which delivered its mind-blowing mix of colorful, moving visuals across and around its unbelievable vivid and clear 16K resolution wraparound LED screen that dominates the interior of this 366-foot-fall building.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
25 Jan. 2026
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Moreover, mean-reversion, not momentum, dominates fund returns over longer periods.—
Peter Cohan,
Forbes.com,
23 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
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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 30 Jan. 2026.
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