subject

Adjective

subject (comparative more subject, superlative most subject)

1. Likely to be affected by or to experience something; liable.
   • a country subject to extreme heat
   • Menu listings and prices are subject to change.
2. Conditional upon something; used with to.
   • The local board sets local policy, subject to approval from the State Board.
3. Placed or situated under; lying below, or in a lower situation.
   • Long he them bore above the subject plain1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto XI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC
4. Placed under the power of another; owing allegiance to a particular sovereign or state.
   • , Book I
     Esau was never subject to Jacob.

Noun

subject (plural subjects)

1. The noun, pronoun or noun phrase about whom the statement is made. In active clauses with verbs denoting an action, the subject is the actor. In clauses in the passive voice the subject is the target of the action.
   • A subject (Sub) is a word, phrase, or clause that performs the action of or acts upon the verb in the predicate.2021, Heather Marie Kosur, “Chapter 6: Grammatical Functions”, in A Form-Function Description of the Grammar of the Modern English Language: Book 1 (Level 9A), Rock Pickle Publishing, →ISBN, page 101
   • In the active sentence ‘The cat ate the mouse’, ‘the cat’ is the subject and ‘the mouse’ is the object.

   Antonyms:

   object, predicate

2. By extension: an actor or agent; one who takes action.
   • the subjects and objects of power
3. The main topic of a paper, work of art, discussion, field of study, etc.
   • this subject for heroic song1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC...
   • Make choice of a subject beautifull and noble, which […] shall […]afford[…] an ample field of matter wherein to expatiate itself.1695, C[harles] A[lphonse] du Fresnoy, translated by John Dryden, De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting, […], London: […] J[ohn] Heptinstall for W. Rogers, […], →OCLC

   Synonyms:

   matter, topic

4. A particular area of study.
   • Her favorite subject is physics.
   • One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains.[…]But out of sight is out of mind. And that, together with the inherent yuckiness of the subject, means that many old sewers have been neglected and are in dire need of repair.2014 June 14, “It's a gas”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8891
5. A citizen in a monarchy.
   • I am a British subject.
   • Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Act, and without prejudice to section 39, this Act shall apply to proceedings by or against the Crown in like manner as it applies to proceedings between subjects.1980, Parliament of the United Kingdom, “Part III, section 37(1)”, in Limitation Act 1980ᵂⁱᵏⁱˢᵒᵘʳᶜᵉ, page 26
6. A person ruled over by another, especially a monarch or state authority.
   • […]the Grand Khan seemed to grasp the "truth" of the religion and might become a convert, thereby gaining for Christianity the souls of all his subjects.2020, Alan Mikhail, God's Shadow, →ISBN, page 93
7. The main theme or melody, especially in a fugue.
   • The earliest known form of subject is the ecclesiastical cantus firmus, or plain song.1878, William Smith Rockstro, “Subject”, in A Dictionary of Music and Musicians
8. A human, animal, or an inanimate object that is being examined, treated, analysed, etc; especially, one being studied in a scientific experiment, such as a clinical trial.
   • human subject research
   • animal subjects
9. A being that has subjective experiences, subjective consciousness, or a relationship with another entity.
10. That of which something is stated.
11. A variable isolated on one side of an equality, expressed in terms of other variables.
    • Making x the subject of x²-6x#43;3y#61;0, we get x#61;3#92;pm#92;sqrt#123;9-3y#125;.

Verb

IPA/səbˈd͡ʒɛkt/

subject (third-person singular simple present subjects, present participle subjecting, simple past and past participle subjected)

1. (transitive) To cause (someone or something) to undergo a particular experience, especially one that is unpleasant or unwanted.
   • I came here to buy souvenirs, not to be subjected to a tirade of abuse!
   • But political tinkering is never far away and British Rail, during much of its life, was subjected to it.2026 August 19, Richard Wilcock, “Structure and power in the times of GBR”, in RAIL, number 1068, page 21
2. (transitive) To make subordinate or subservient; to subdue or enslave; to subjugate.