sub

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablesport

   A person who takes the place of another, especially a replacement player in a team game or a stand-in teacher.

   Grammar: Short for substitute: the coach sent on a sub.

   Patterns

   • come on as a sub
   • a sub for someone

   The coach brought on a sub at halftime to give the defenders a rest.

   We had a sub in math class because our teacher was ill.

   She was a late sub in the relay team.

2. 2nouncountableAmerican

   A long sandwich made with a roll and filled with meat, cheese and vegetables.

   Grammar: Common in American English: a turkey sub.

   Patterns

   • a sub with something

   He ordered a meatball sub with extra cheese.

   We picked up two subs for lunch on the road.

   The deli makes a good veggie sub.

3. 3nouncountable

   A submarine, a ship that travels underwater.

   Grammar: Short for submarine, mostly in casual speech.

   Patterns

   • a nuclear sub

   The sub stayed under the ice for three weeks.

   He served on a navy sub as a young man.

   The film follows a crew trapped in a damaged sub.

4. 4nouncountableBritish

   A short form for subscription, a regular payment for a service or magazine.

   Grammar: Informal; often plural: renew your subs.

   Patterns

   • pay a sub

   The club asks members to pay their sub in January.

   She cancelled her sub to the magazine.

   Annual subs are due at the end of the month.

5. 5verbtransitive or intransitive

   To act as a replacement for someone, or to put a replacement in their place.

   Grammar: Often followed by for or in: sub for a sick colleague.

   Patterns

   • sub for someone
   • sub someone in

   I'm subbing for Maria while she's on holiday.

   The coach subbed off the tired winger.

   Can you sub in for me at the meeting on Friday?

Word forms

Common combinations

come on as a sub

He came on as a sub in the second half.

substitute teacher

Our sub teacher played a video.

turkey sub

I'll have a turkey sub with mustard.

sub for someone

Can you sub for me on Tuesday?

nuclear sub

The nuclear sub surfaced near the port.

sub on a bench

He started the game as a sub on the bench.

Synonyms and how they differ

substitute

Substitute is the full and more formal form, so it suits written reports better than sub.

replacement

Replacement suggests a lasting change, while a sub is often temporary.

stand-in

A stand-in covers an absent person, often outside sport, such as in a film or office.

hoagie

Hoagie is a regional American word for the long sandwich, mainly used in the northeast.

Opposites

Word family

substitute noun

a person or thing that takes another's place

substitution noun

the act of replacing one thing with another

submarine noun

an underwater vessel

subscription noun

a regular payment for a service

Commonly confused: sub or sob?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “sub”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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