as in submarines
a large sandwich on a long split roll
we shared a tuna sub at lunch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in substitutes
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
as in spells
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of subs
ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
The birthday-party snack menu at Melody Lanes in Sunset Park includes six-foot subs ($29 per foot) from Lioni’s nearby.
—The Editors, Curbed, 16 Apr. 2026
That makes sense, given how Paramount+ and HBO Max are scaling up to around 172 million subs, still fourth place behind Netflix (325M), Amazon (200M) and Disney (195M).
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 12 Apr. 2026
Paired alongside the subs at Fenway on Thursday was a Guinness beef stew.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
To put it into perspective, most small subs typically max out at 4 knots, with research subs usually capable of 1 to 3 knots max.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 29 Mar. 2026
Still, though, the subs’ desk rocked with laughter.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
The meal includes two medium subs, two bags of chips and two small drinks for $16, according to the Firehouse Subs website.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
While at Anfield, subs Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi combined to provide one of the moments of the season with the winning goal in that memorable victory.
—Paul Taylor, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
Say goodbye to soggy subs thanks to the Sub Sandwich Container, which protects your sandwich on the go.
—ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
The birthday-party snack menu at Melody Lanes in Sunset Park includes six-foot subs ($29 per foot) from Lioni’s nearby.
—The Editors, Curbed, 16 Apr. 2026
That makes sense, given how Paramount+ and HBO Max are scaling up to around 172 million subs, still fourth place behind Netflix (325M), Amazon (200M) and Disney (195M).
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 12 Apr. 2026
Paired alongside the subs at Fenway on Thursday was a Guinness beef stew.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
To put it into perspective, most small subs typically max out at 4 knots, with research subs usually capable of 1 to 3 knots max.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 29 Mar. 2026
Still, though, the subs’ desk rocked with laughter.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
The meal includes two medium subs, two bags of chips and two small drinks for $16, according to the Firehouse Subs website.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
While at Anfield, subs Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi combined to provide one of the moments of the season with the winning goal in that memorable victory.
—Paul Taylor, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subs
substitutes
Verb
-
Agreed, but this bill substitutes the long, painstaking and complex work of fixing California’s troubled insurance market with finger-pointing and posturing.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Rosenson said that if CRISPR is a scissor that cuts both strands of DNA, base editing is an eraser that substitutes one chemical letter, or base, in a single strand of DNA.—
David Cox,
NBC news,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subs. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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