subprime
adjective
sub·prime
ˈsəb-ˌprīm 
1
: having or being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate and is extended chiefly to a borrower who has a poor credit rating or is judged to be a potentially high risk for default (as due to low income)
subprime mortgages
a subprime loan
2
: extending or obtaining a subprime loan
subprime lenders
subprime borrowers
Examples of subprime in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Steve Eisman, the investor who called the subprime mortgage crisis, said fears of the massive size of the federal budget deficit may be overblown.
—
Yun Li, CNBC, 8 July 2025
While the 2008 crisis was driven by subprime mortgages, speculative buying and a general lack of oversight on the mortgage market, the current downturn in the Cape Coral housing market has been driven by high mortgage rates, rising inventory and growing economic uncertainty at the national level.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025
Before that, supply hadn’t been this high since 2009, amid the subprime mortgage crisis and the Great Recession.
—Diana Olick, CNBC, 25 June 2025
Leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, predatory payday and subprime lenders lobbied Congress under the guise of financial inclusion and enlisted prominent civil rights groups to amplify their message.
—Cleve Mesidor, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
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Yun Li, CNBC, 8 July 2025
While the 2008 crisis was driven by subprime mortgages, speculative buying and a general lack of oversight on the mortgage market, the current downturn in the Cape Coral housing market has been driven by high mortgage rates, rising inventory and growing economic uncertainty at the national level.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025
Before that, supply hadn’t been this high since 2009, amid the subprime mortgage crisis and the Great Recession.
—Diana Olick, CNBC, 25 June 2025
Leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, predatory payday and subprime lenders lobbied Congress under the guise of financial inclusion and enlisted prominent civil rights groups to amplify their message.
—Cleve Mesidor, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for subprime
Cite this Entry
“Subprime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subprime. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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subprime
adjective
sub·prime
ˈsəb-ˌprīm
1
: having or being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate and is extended especially to low-income borrowers
subprime mortgages
2
: extending or obtaining a subprime loan
subprime lenders
subprime borrowers
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