1
: one that is placed under authority or control: such as
a
: vassal
b(1)
: one subject to a monarch and governed by the monarch's law
(2)
: one who lives in the territory of, enjoys the protection of, and owes allegiance to a sovereign power or state
2
a
: that of which a quality, attribute, or relation may be affirmed or in which it may inhere
b
: substratum
especially
: material or essential substance
c
: the mind, ego, or agent of whatever sort that sustains or assumes the form of thought or consciousness
3
a
: a department of knowledge or learning
c(1)
: one that is acted on
the helpless subject of their cruelty
(2)
: an individual whose reactions or responses are studied
(3)
: a dead body for anatomical study and dissection
(4)
: a person who has engaged in activity that a federal prosecutor has identified as being within the scope of a federal grand jury investigation
Most white-collar criminal defendants started out as subjects of a grand jury investigation," said Bruce Green, a former federal prosecutor and a law professor at Fordham.—
Adam Serwer
Adam Serwer
d(1)
: something concerning which something is said or done
the subject of the essay
(2)
: something represented or indicated in a work of art
e(1)
: the term of a logical proposition that denotes the entity of which something is affirmed or denied
also
: the entity denoted
(2)
: a word or word group denoting that of which something is predicated
f
: the principal melodic phrase on which a musical composition or movement is based
1
: owing obedience or allegiance to the power or dominion of another
2
a
: suffering a particular liability or exposure
subject to temptation
b
: having a tendency or inclination : prone
subject to colds
3
: contingent on or under the influence of some later action
the plan is subject to discussion
subjected; subjecting; subjects
1
a
: to bring under control or dominion : subjugate
b
: to make (someone, such as oneself) amenable to the discipline and control of a superior
2
: to make liable : predispose
3
: to cause or force to undergo or endure (something unpleasant, inconvenient, or trying)
was subjected to constant verbal abuse
Examples of subject in a Sentence
Noun
The new museum is the subject of an article in today's paper.
Death is a difficult subject that few people like to talk about.
I need to break the news to her, but I'm not sure how to bring up the subject.
If you're interested in linguistics, I know an excellent book on the subject.
an excellent book on the subject of linguistics
These meetings would be much shorter if we could keep him from getting off the subject.
The morality of capital punishment is a frequent subject of debate.
Chemistry was my favorite subject in high school.
The classes cover a variety of subject areas, including mathematics and English.
Adjective
your extra piano lesson on Tuesdays is subject to the availability of the music room
this type of wound is highly subject to infection
Verb
Attila the Hun subjected most of Europe to his barbaric pillage.
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The lieutenant governor is adamant that transgender girls be excluded from sports teams and banned from bathrooms, while Spanberger has dodged the subject and claimed that school issues should be handled locally.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 29 Oct. 2025
Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
On the other end of these interactions, being able to articulate complex ideas in a digestible way is key, whether explaining concepts to other subject experts or talking to nontechnical stakeholders.
—IEEE Spectrum, 27 Oct. 2025
Andy McCullough, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Lucido's office said Martin also has a habitual offender, fourth-offense notice, subjecting him to life in prison if he is convicted of any of the primary felony charges, according to a release.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subject
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Robert Englund has been the subject of many nightmares since 1984.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The lieutenant governor is adamant that transgender girls be excluded from sports teams and banned from bathrooms, while Spanberger has dodged the subject and claimed that school issues should be handled locally.
—Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Chen said while Texas handles a large amount of environmental regulations through state agencies, the EPA provides subject-matter expertise.
—Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
On the other end of these interactions, being able to articulate complex ideas in a digestible way is key, whether explaining concepts to other subject experts or talking to nontechnical stakeholders.
—IEEE Spectrum, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
Toronto subjected Yamamoto to heavy traffic and high stress from the outset.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Lucido's office said Martin also has a habitual offender, fourth-offense notice, subjecting him to life in prison if he is convicted of any of the primary felony charges, according to a release.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subject
Cite this Entry
“Subject.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subject. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
subject
1 of 3 noun
sub·ject
ˈsəb-jikt 
1
a
: a person under the authority or control of another
b
: a person who owes loyalty to a monarch or state
2
a
: a department of knowledge or learning
b
: an individual (as a person or a mouse) that is studied or experimented on
c
: the person or thing discussed : topic
the subject of an essay
3
: a noun or term functioning as a noun about which something is stated in the predicate of a sentence
"child" in "the child threw the ball" is the subject
subject
2 of 3 adjective1
: owing obedience or loyalty to another
2
a
: likely to be affected by
subject to temptation
b
: having a tendency
subject to catching colds
3
: depending on
subject to your approval
subject
3 of 3 verb
sub·ject
səb-ˈjekt
1
a
: to bring under control or rule
b
: to make responsive to the discipline and control of a superior
2
: to make likely
his poor conduct subjected him to criticism
3
: to cause or force to put up with something difficult, unpleasant, or inconvenient
unwilling to subject us to embarrassment
Medical Definition
subject
noun
sub·ject
ˈsəb-jikt
1
: an individual whose reactions or responses are studied
2
: a dead body for anatomical study and dissection
Legal Definition
subject
noun
sub·ject
ˈsəb-ˌjekt
: the person upon whose life a life insurance policy is written and upon whose death the policy is payable : insured compare beneficiary sense b, policyholder
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