1
as in to overcome
to achieve a victory over
subdued her fear of the dark by joining a club for spelunkers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to dominate
to bring under one's control by force of arms
subdued the rebels and sent their leaders to the gallows
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to quell
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of subdue
The crowd was subdued with many dogs on leash (the place is very dog friendly), people of all ages quietly looking at the phones/working or young couples with strollers talking under the shade of the wide umbrellas that dot the area.
—
Em Sauter, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
Can Spiders Bite? Spiders have venom to subdue prey, but the majority have fangs that are too tiny to puncture human skin.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 14 June 2025
Barnes was subdued with pepper spray after kicking an officer in the stomach while resisting, police said.
—Dennis Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2025
Yet, as trade tensions subdued, the stock rebounded 30% from its lowest point.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for subdue
Em Sauter, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
Can Spiders Bite? Spiders have venom to subdue prey, but the majority have fangs that are too tiny to puncture human skin.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 14 June 2025
Barnes was subdued with pepper spray after kicking an officer in the stomach while resisting, police said.
—Dennis Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2025
Yet, as trade tensions subdued, the stock rebounded 30% from its lowest point.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for subdue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subdue
Verb
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Advertisement Indiana tried its best to overcome heartbreak in Game 7: Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers’ star point guard who was playing with a calf strain in his right leg, suffered an achilles injury in the first quarter.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
23 June 2025
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The Thunder overcame two Game 7s en route to the title, and they will now forever be called champions.—
Matt Levine,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Thong style sandals prevailed as footwear on the looks, and large oversized bags dominated the man bags.—
Roxanne Robinson,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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The early adopter was Montgomery Ward, but Sears and Roebuck—the Amazon and Walmart of their day—would soon dominate the business.—
Lee Habeeb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell defended his department’s handling of recent protests, saying officers acted appropriately to quell unrest — pushing back against criticism about aggressive crowd control tactics used during demonstrations against President Trump’s immigration crackdown.—
Libor Jany,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2025
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President Donald Trump just announced a ceasefire between the Middle Eastern countries—potentially quelling oil market fears of Iran’s plans to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway to global oil trade.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
23 June 2025
Verb
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This article gives her plenty of credit for defeating Sabalenka.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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Leon made the team, and Canada went on to defeat Sweden in penalty kicks for the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in women’s soccer.—
Fernando Ramirez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 June 2025
Verb
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Something Beautiful Wins on Vinyl Something Beautiful does manage to conquer the Vinyl Albums chart, earning Cyrus her third winner on that format-specific list.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
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In an improbable turn of events on the back nine on Sunday, JJ Spaun conquered Oakmont to win the U.S. Open by two shots over Robert MacIntyre.—
Troy Finnegan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 June 2025
Verb
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Firefighters are working to suppress the fire, which is currently burning with a slow rate of spread.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
20 June 2025
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This outdated mentality fosters two counterproductive patterns: emotional repression, in which individuals suppress feelings, and emotional reactivity, where feelings are expressed impulsively and without regulation.—
Andriana Eliadis,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Verb
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At the same time, niche and local players who master efficiency and identity—like Dragonfly and Goodlyfe—can still carve out major wins.—
Javier Hasse,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
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Stylish outfit equations have never been easier to master.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Hwang loudly calls out the flaw of democracy that allows the barest of majorities to subject all to nightmarish policies — even more nightmarish for those who voted against them.—
Michael Ordoña,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
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Congress passed the law that led to its creation based on its power under the Constitution’s spending clause, which allows Congress to subject federal funds to certain requirements.—
Naomi Cahn,
The Conversation,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subdue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subdue. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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