that which forms a basic matter of thought, discussion, investigation, etc.: a subject of conversation.
a branch of knowledge as a course of study: He studied four subjects in his first year at college.
a motive, cause, or ground: a subject for complaint.
the theme of a sermon, book, story, etc.
the principal melodic motif or phrase in a musical composition, especially in a fugue.
an object, scene, incident, etc., chosen by an artist for representation, or as represented in art.
a person who is under the dominion or rule of a sovereign.
a person who owes allegiance to a government and lives under its protection: four subjects of Sweden.
Grammar. (in English and many other languages) a syntactic unit that functions as one of the two main constituents of a simple sentence, the other being the predicate, and that consists of a noun, noun phrase, or noun substitute which often refers to the one performing the action or being in the state expressed by the predicate, as He in He gave notice.
a person or thing that undergoes or may undergo some action: As a dissenter, he found himself the subject of the group's animosity.
a person or thing under the control or influence of another.
a person as an object of medical, surgical, or psychological treatment or experiment.
a cadaver used for dissection.
Logic. that term of a proposition concerning which the predicate is affirmed or denied.
Philosophy.
that which thinks, feels, perceives, intends, etc., as contrasted with the objects of thought, feeling, etc.
the self or ego.
Metaphysics. that in which qualities or attributes inhere; substance.
adjective
being under domination, control, or influence (often followed by to).
being under dominion, rule, or authority, as of a sovereign, state, or some governing power; owing allegiance or obedience (often followed by to).
open or exposed (usually followed by to): subject to ridicule.
being dependent or conditional upon something (usually followed by to): His consent is subject to your approval.
being under the necessity of undergoing something (usually followed by to): All beings are subject to death.
liable; prone (usually followed by to): subject to headaches.
verb (used with object)
to bring under domination, control, or influence (usually followed by to).
to bring under dominion, rule, or authority, as of a conqueror or a governing power (usually followed by to).
to cause to undergo the action of something specified; expose (usually followed by to): to subject metal to intense heat.
to make liable or vulnerable; lay open; expose (usually followed by to): to subject oneself to ridicule.
Obsolete. to place beneath something; make subjacent.
Origin of subject
First recorded in 1275–1325; (adjective) from Latin subjectus “placed beneath, inferior, open to inspection,” originally the past participle of subicere “to throw or place beneath, make subject,” equivalent to sub-sub- + -jec-, combining form of jacere “to throw” + -tus past participle suffix; replacing Middle English suget, from Old French, from Latin, as above; (noun) from Late Latin subjectum “grammatical or dialectical subject,” noun use of neuter of subjectus; replacing Middle English suget, as above; (verb) from Latin subjectāre, frequentative of subicere; replacing Middle English suget(t)en, from Old French sugetter, from Latin, as above
SYNONYMS FOR subject
3 reason, rationale.
17 subordinate, subservient.
20 contingent.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR subject ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for subject
1, 4. Subject,theme,topic are often interchangeable to express the material being considered in a speech or written composition. Subject is a broad word for whatever is treated in writing, speech, art, etc.: the subject for discussion.Theme and topic are usually narrower and apply to some limited or specific part of a general subject. A theme is often the underlying conception of a discourse or composition, perhaps not put into words but easily recognizable: The theme of a need for reform runs throughout her work. A topic is the statement of what is to be treated in a section of a composition: The topic is treated fully in this section.
sub·ject·less,adjectivesub·ject·like,adjectivenon·sub·ject,noun,adjectivenon·sub·ject·ed,adjectivepre·sub·ject,verb (used with object)re·sub·ject,verb (used with object)un·sub·ject,adjectiveun·sub·ject·ed,adjective
Still, all of the company’s customers and others using this pricing mechanism were subject to such volatility.
Environment Report: State Throws Cold Water on Pricing Scheme|MacKenzie Elmer|September 14, 2020|Voice of San Diego
After I folded the Duo, sometimes I ended up with the camera facing toward me, not my subject, and the Duo remained in selfie mode.
Review of the Microsoft Surface Duo folding phone: Very pretty but just how useful is it?|Aaron Pressman|September 10, 2020|Fortune
How and when that collapse might occur is the subject of a five-year international collaborative research effort.
New maps show how warm water may reach Thwaites Glacier’s icy underbelly|Carolyn Gramling|September 9, 2020|Science News
Kelvin Barrios could be the subject of yet another San Diego ethics violation.
Morning Report: New Ethics Concerns for City Council Candidate|Voice of San Diego|September 3, 2020|Voice of San Diego
This article was co-published with The Atlantic and is not subject to our Creative Commons license.
What Can Mayors Do When the Police Stop Doing Their Jobs?|by Alec MacGillis|September 3, 2020|ProPublica
Throughout the fifties, in city after city, fluoridation became the subject of fierce debate.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
He allows the subject to float over to Hitchcock with a calm directness that I admire.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No one knows what they're about but Boba Fett is rumored to be the subject of one.
Shocking New Reveals From Sony Hack: J. Law, Pitt, Clooney, and Star Wars|William Boot|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I had visited distilleries all over the world and reached a level of expertise about the subject.
A Whisky Connoisseur Remembers That First Sip of The Macallan||December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Detainees there were subject to sleep deprivation, shackled to bars with their hands above their heads.
Inside the CIA’s Sadistic Dungeon|Tim Mak|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As, however, the whole plan of our proceedings was to be kept secret, I will not touch on that subject.
A Voyage round the World|W.H.G. Kingston
The subject was accordingly dropped, and we hurried away to dress.
Under the Meteor Flag|Harry Collingwood
This is all that was said between them on the subject, and, immediately the meal was over, they retired to their rooms.
Halcyone|Elinor Glyn
See "Boulter's Letters" on this subject of the English rule.
The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Vol. VII|Jonathan Swift
Religious thought, like all else, is subject to a law of evolution, and therefore passes through regular stages.
Evolution|Joseph Le Conte
British Dictionary definitions for subject
subject
noun (ˈsʌbdʒɪkt)
the predominant theme or topic, as of a book, discussion, etc
(in combination)subject-heading
any branch of learning considered as a course of study
grammarlogica word, phrase, or formal expression about which something is predicated or stated in a sentence; for example, the cat in the sentence The cat catches mice
a person or thing that undergoes experiment, analysis, treatment, etc
a person who lives under the rule of a monarch, government, etc
an object, figure, scene, etc, as selected by an artist or photographer for representation
philosophy
that which thinks or feels as opposed to the object of thinking and feeling; the self or the mind
a substance as opposed to its attributes
Also called: thememusica melodic or thematic phrase used as the principal motif of a fugue, the basis from which the musical material is derived in a sonata-form movement, or the recurrent figure in a rondo
logic
the term of a categorial statement of which something is predicated
the reference or denotation of the subject term of a statement. The subject of John is tall is not the name John, but John himself
an originating motive
change the subjectto select a new topic of conversation
adjective (ˈsʌbdʒɪkt) (usually postpositive and foll by to)
being under the power or sovereignty of a ruler, government, etcsubject peoples
showing a tendency (towards)a child subject to indiscipline
exposed or vulnerablesubject to ribaldry
conditional uponthe results are subject to correction
adverb
subject to(preposition)under the condition thatwe accept, subject to her agreement
verb (səbˈdʒɛkt) (tr)
(foll by to)to cause to undergo the application (of)they subjected him to torture
(often passive foll by to) to expose or render vulnerable or liable (to some experience)he was subjected to great danger
(foll by to)to bring under the control or authority (of)to subject a soldier to discipline
How To Determine Subject vs. Predicate In A SentenceBy elementary school, kids begin learning about the different parts of a sentence. These parts give each word a job. And every complete sentence needs two things: a subject and a predicate. But what exactly are they?
A part of every sentence. The subject tells what the sentence is about; it contains the main noun or noun phrase: “The car crashed into the railing”; “Judy and two of her friends were elected to the National Honor Society.” In some cases the subject is implied: you is the implied subject in “Get me some orange juice.” (Compare predicate.)