Meaning & use
subset
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Meanings
nouncountable
A smaller group made up of some of the items in a larger group.
Grammar: Countable; followed by of: a subset of users.
Patterns
- a subset of something
Only a subset of the students took the optional exam.
Researchers studied a small subset of the data.
Vegans are a subset of vegetarians in some definitions.
nouncountablemathematics
In mathematics, a set whose members are all also members of another set.
Grammar: Technical: An is a subset of B.
Patterns
- A is a subset of B
The even numbers are a subset of the integers.
Every set is a subset of itself.
The empty set is a subset of every set.
Word forms
| plural | subsets |
|---|
Common combinations
- a subset of
- A subset of customers complained.
- proper subset
- A proper subset is smaller than the whole set.
- small subset
- Only a small subset of cases are serious.
- select a subset
- We selected a subset of files.
- subset of the data
- Run the test on a subset of the data.
Synonyms and how they differ
- part
- Part is a general word for a portion, with no sense of belonging to a defined set.
- subgroup
- Subgroup is everyday and can suggest people with shared traits.
- portion
- Portion suggests a share of an amount.
- subcategory
- A subcategory is a division within a category.
Opposites
Word family
- set noun
- a collection of things
- superset noun
- a set that contains another set
Commonly confused: subset or superset?
subset vs superset
A superset contains a set; a subset is contained within it.
Practice
If every member of set A is also in set B, then A is a ____ of B.
Choose one answer.
An is contained in B, so it is a subset. B is the superset. A union and a complement are other set operations.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “subset”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.