sub|con|ti|nent /sʌ bkɒ nt I nənt/ (subcontinents ) also sub-continent N‑COUNT [usu sing] A subcontinent is part of a larger continent, made up of a number of countries that form a large mass of land. The subcontinent is often used to refer to the area that contains India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
sub|con|tract (subcontracts , subcontracting , subcontracted ) The verb is pronounced /sʌ bkəntræ kt/. The noun is pronounced /sʌbkɒ ntrækt/. 1 VERB If one firm subcontracts part of its work to another firm, it pays the other firm to do part of the work that it has been employed to do. [BUSINESS ] □ [V n] The company is subcontracting production of most of the parts. □ [V n + to ] They are cutting costs by subcontracting work out to other local firms.
2 N‑COUNT A subcontract is a contract between a firm which is being employed to do a job and another firm which agrees to do part of that job.
sub|con|trac|tor /sʌ bkəntræ ktə r , [AM ] -kɑː ntræk-/ (subcontractors ) also sub-contractor N‑COUNT A subcontractor is a person or firm that has a contract to do part of a job which another firm is responsible for. [BUSINESS ] □ The company was considered as a possible subcontractor to build the aeroplane.
sub|cul|ture /sʌ bkʌltʃə r / (subcultures ) also sub-culture N‑COUNT A subculture is the ideas, art, and way of life of a group of people within a society, which are different from the ideas, art, and way of life of the rest of the society. □ …the latest American subculture.
sub|cu|ta|neous /sʌ bkjute I niəs/ ADJ [ADJ n] Subcutaneous is used to indicate that something is situated, used, or put under your skin. □ …subcutaneous fat.
sub|di|vide /sʌ bd I va I d/ (subdivides , subdividing , subdivided ) also sub-divide VERB [usu passive] If something is subdivided , it is divided into several smaller areas, parts, or groups. □ [be V -ed + into ] The verbs were subdivided into transitive and intransitive categories.
sub|di|vi|sion /sʌ bd I v I ʒ ə n/ (subdivisions ) also sub-division
1 N‑COUNT A subdivision is an area, part, or section of something which is itself a part of something larger. □ Months are a conventional subdivision of the year.
2 N‑COUNT A subdivision is an area of land for building houses on. [AM ] □ Rammick lives high on a ridge in a 400-home subdivision.
sub|due /səbdjuː , [AM ] -duː / (subdues , subduing , subdued )
1 VERB If soldiers or the police subdue a group of people, they defeat them or bring them under control by using force. □ [V n] Senior government officials admit they have not been able to subdue the rebels.
2 VERB To subdue feelings means to make them less strong. □ [V n] He forced himself to subdue and overcome his fears.
sub|dued /səbdjuː d, [AM ] -duː d/
1 ADJ Someone who is subdued is very quiet, often because they are sad or worried about something. □ The audience are strangely subdued, clapping politely after each song.
2 ADJ Subdued sounds are not very loud. □ The conversation around them was resumed, but in subdued tones.
3 ADJ Subdued lights or colours are not very bright. □ The lighting was subdued.
su b-e ditor (sub-editors ) also subeditor N‑COUNT A sub-editor is a person whose job it is to check and correct articles in newspapers or magazines before they are printed. [BRIT ] in AM, use copy editor
sub|group /sʌ bgruːp/ (subgroups ) also sub-group N‑COUNT A subgroup is a group that is part of a larger group. □ The Action Group worked by dividing its tasks among a large number of subgroups.
sub|head|ing /sʌ bhed I ŋ/ (subheadings ) also sub-heading N‑COUNT Subheadings are titles that divide part of a piece of writing into shorter sections.
sub|hu|man /sʌ bhjuː mən/ also sub-human ADJ If you describe someone or their situation as subhuman , you mean that they behave or live in a much worse way than human beings normally do. □ Defining people as subhuman made it easier to justify their ill treatment.
sub|ject ◆◆◇ (subjects , subjecting , subjected ) The noun and adjective are pronounced /sʌ bdʒ I kt/. The verb is pronounced /səbdʒe kt/. 1 N‑COUNT The subject of something such as a conversation, letter, or book is the thing that is being discussed or written about. □ It was I who first raised the subject of plastic surgery. □ …the president's own views on the subject.
2 N‑COUNT Someone or something that is the subject of criticism, study, or an investigation is being criticized, studied, or investigated. □ [+ of ] Over the past few years, some of the positions Mr. Meredith has adopted have made him the subject of criticism. □ [+ of ] He's now the subject of an official inquiry.
3 N‑COUNT A subject is an area of knowledge or study, especially one that you study at school, college, or university. □ …a tutor in maths and science subjects.
4 N‑COUNT In an experiment or piece of research, the subject is the person or animal that is being tested or studied. [FORMAL ] □ 'White noise' was played into the subject's ears through headphones.
5 N‑COUNT An artist's subjects are the people, animals, or objects that he or she paints, models, or photographs. □ Her favourite subjects are shells spotted on beach walks.
6 N‑COUNT In grammar, the subject of a clause is the noun group that refers to the person or thing that is doing the action expressed by the verb. For example, in 'My cat keeps catching birds', 'my cat' is the subject.
7 ADJ To be subject to something means to be affected by it or to be likely to be affected by it. □ [+ to ] Prices may be subject to alteration. □ [+ to ] Foreign wine was subject to an import tax.