subject
subject — noun
1. the particular thing or idea that people are talking about, writing about, or th
the particular thing or idea that people are talking about, writing about, or thinking about — for example, politics in a debate, or the plot of a novel being discussed in a book club.
The main subject of the meeting was the rising cost of rent in Taipei.
subject + of: identifies the topic of an event or text
Yara tried to avoid any subject that might upset her grandmother during dinner.
Climate change became the central subject of the professor's lecture this morning.
When Sade brought up the subject of moving abroad, her parents looked worried.
bring up the subject: common verb + subject collocation
- subject of
- subject for
- bring up the subject
- discuss a subject
- raise the subject
- on the subject of
Grammar Patterns
subject + of + noun phrase
subject + for + noun phrase
Usage Note
This is the most common meaning of 'subject' as a noun. It combines naturally with verbs like 'bring up,' 'discuss,' 'raise,' and 'avoid.'
Common Mistakes
2. a particular branch of learning on which students receive lessons — for example,
a particular branch of learning on which students receive lessons — for example, mathematics, history, biology, or art — at an educational institution such as a high school or a university.
Mathematics has always been Christopher's favourite subject at school.
favourite subject: adjective + subject collocation
The university offers over forty subjects in the science faculty alone.
Sana chose to study three subjects in her final year: English, geography, and art.
Computer programming was added as a new subject at the school last September.
- study a subject
- take a subject
- teach a subject
- favourite subject
- core subject
- optional subject
- course
more common in American English; often refers to a single class within a subject
- discipline
more formal; used for broad academic fields like 'the discipline of economics'
- field
suggests an area of study or professional work, broader than a single school subject
Usage Note
Use 'take' or 'study' with 'subject' to describe which courses a student is enrolled in. 'Do well in a subject' and 'struggle with a subject' are common learner phrases.
3. to deliberately start talking about something different, especially to avoid an
to deliberately start talking about something different, especially to avoid an awkward or difficult conversation.
Whenever her father mentioned marriage, Mizuki quickly changed the subject.
change the subject: fixed phrase for avoiding a topic
The politician changed the subject whenever a reporter asked about the scandal.
My uncle always changes the subject when we talk about his health problems.
Sana tried to change the subject, but her friend kept asking questions about the accident.
Grammar Patterns
change + the + subject
Usage Note
This is a fixed phrase. 'Subject' here always appears with 'the' and cannot be pluralised (*change the subjects). The phrase implies that the speaker is avoiding a topic, not just naturally moving on.
Common Mistakes
4. the person, object, or scene that is shown or represented in a painting, photogr
the person, object, or scene that is shown or represented in a painting, photograph, book, film, or other creative work.
The subject of the photograph is an old fisherman mending his nets by the harbour.
subject + of: identifies the focus of a creative work
For her art project, Trang chose homeless cats as her main subject.
Élise prefers to paint landscapes, so nature is usually the subject of her work.
The novel takes a difficult subject — civil war — and makes it feel personal.
- subject of a painting
- subject of a photograph
- main subject
- choose a subject
Grammar Patterns
subject + of + noun phrase
Usage Note
Closely related to sense 1 (TOPIC), but specifically tied to creative works. If someone says 'the subject of the painting,' they mean what is depicted, not the general idea being discussed.
5. the noun, pronoun, or noun phrase in a sentence or clause that carries out what
the noun, pronoun, or noun phrase in a sentence or clause that carries out what the verb describes, or that a statement tells us something about — for example, 'the dog' in 'The dog barked loudly.'
In the sentence 'Eli runs every morning,' the subject is 'Eli.'
identifying the subject in a simple sentence
To find the subject, ask who or what is doing the action of the verb.
method to identify the subject in any sentence
Every complete English sentence must contain both a subject and a verb.
In questions, the subject often appears after the auxiliary verb rather than at the start.
- subject of a sentence
- subject of a clause
- grammatical subject
- subject and verb
- object
the noun phrase that receives the action rather than performing it
Grammar Patterns
subject + verb
subject + of + noun phrase (a sentence, a clause)
Usage Note
This is a technical grammar term. Beginners often confuse the subject with the topic of a sentence — the grammatical subject is whichever noun controls verb agreement, not necessarily what the sentence is 'about.'
Common Mistakes
6. a person who is a member of a particular monarchy or sovereign state and is expe
a person who is a member of a particular monarchy or sovereign state and is expected to be loyal to the ruling power, especially when that power is a hereditary monarch.
The queen delivered a speech that was broadcast to all her subjects across the nation.
formal register: subjects of a monarch
As a British subject, Heloísa's grandfather could live in the United Kingdom.
The king's subjects gathered in the town square to celebrate the royal wedding.
Under the old empire, subjects paid a portion of their harvest as tax.
- British subject
- loyal subject
- the king's subjects
- the queen's subjects
Usage Note
This sense is primarily historical or formal. In modern contexts, 'citizen' is more common than 'subject' for describing a person's relationship to a country. 'Subject' is still used in some Commonwealth countries that recognise the British monarch as head of state.
subject — verb
1. to use force to bring a group or an entire nation under your complete control, r
to use force to bring a group or an entire nation under your complete control, removing their freedom to resist or make their own choices.
The invading army subjected the local population to years of military rule.
subject + object + to: pattern showing enforced control
Chidi's research paper explores how colonial powers subjected entire regions for economic gain.
The rebels fought fiercely because they refused to be subjected to the rule of a foreign dictator.
passive: be subjected to [authority]
History shows that when one nation subjects another, lasting peace rarely follows.
- subject to control
- subject to rule
- subject a population
- subject a nation
Grammar Patterns
subject + object + to + noun phrase
Usage Note
This verb is almost always used with 'to' when specifying what control is imposed ('subjected to harsh treatment'). In passive constructions ('were subjected to') the meaning often overlaps with 'cause to experience' (the rejected_additions sense). The active voice ('The army subjected the town') carries the stronger subjugation meaning.
Common Mistakes
subject — adjective
1. having a tendency to experience or suffer from something, particularly when that
having a tendency to experience or suffer from something, particularly when that something is unwanted or negative — for example, a coastal town being subject to flooding, or a price being subject to change.
Low-lying villages near the coast are subject to flooding during every typhoon season.
be + subject + to: indicates vulnerability or exposure
Flight schedules are subject to change without notice during severe weather.
Elderly people living alone are more subject to loneliness than those with family nearby.
All products sold in the store are subject to a five percent sales tax.
- subject to change
- subject to approval
- subject to tax
- subject to flooding
- subject to availability
- exposed to
more informal; emphasises lack of protection rather than likelihood
- prone to
suggests a natural tendency or weakness, not external conditions
- susceptible to
implies vulnerability to harm or influence, often physical
- immune to
not affected by something; opposite of vulnerable
- exempt from
officially excused from a requirement or condition
Grammar Patterns
be + subject + to + noun phrase
Usage Note
Always used in the construction 'be subject to + noun' (or noun phrase). 'Subject' is an adjective here and does not change form (*subjected to in this sense). Do not confuse with the verb 'subject to' (sense verb/1) which has a different meaning and uses 'subjected.'
Common Mistakes
2. possible or valid only after a particular requirement is satisfied beforehand —
possible or valid only after a particular requirement is satisfied beforehand — for example, a job offer being subject to a medical check, or a discount being subject to a minimum purchase.
The scholarship offer is subject to Ada maintaining a grade average above eighty percent.
be + subject + to + condition: indicates dependency
The contract is subject to both parties signing the agreement by Friday afternoon.
Admission to the programme is subject to the approval of the academic committee.
The special discount is subject to a minimum purchase of two thousand dollars.
- subject to approval
- subject to change
- subject to confirmation
- subject to conditions
- contingent on
more formal; the closest formal synonym for this meaning
- dependent on
more common in everyday English; interchangeable with 'subject to' in this sense
- conditional on
emphasises the requirement nature of the condition
- unconditional
not dependent on any condition
- guaranteed
certain to happen regardless of conditions
Grammar Patterns
be + subject + to + noun phrase
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense adjective/1 (LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE). In this sense, 'subject to' means 'conditional on' — it is about a requirement that must be satisfied, not about vulnerability. The same 'be subject to' structure carries two different meanings depending on context.
Common Mistakes
3. governed by the authority of an external power or ruler, with restricted ability
governed by the authority of an external power or ruler, with restricted ability to direct one's own affairs or choose a path independently.
The island remained subject to the colonial government until it gained independence in 1965.
be + subject + to: political subordination meaning
For over three centuries, the region was subject to foreign rulers who exploited its resources.
The treaty declared that the territory would be subject to the neighbouring kingdom.
A nation that is subject to another power cannot set its own trade policies.
- subject to colonial rule
- subject to foreign control
- subject to another nation
- subject to a ruler
- subordinate
broader term; can refer to any lower position in a hierarchy, not only political
- subjugated
stronger, implying active force was used to establish control
- independent
self-governing; not controlled by an external power
- autonomous
self-ruling; having the freedom to make one's own decisions
Grammar Patterns
be + subject + to + noun phrase (a ruler, a government)
Usage Note
This sense is closely related to noun sense 6 (CITIZEN UNDER MONARCHY) and verb sense 1 (SUBJUGATE): if a people are 'subjected' (verb), they become 'subject to' (adj) a ruler, and individuals in that situation are 'subjects' (noun). The three POSes form a coherent meaning cluster around control and subordination.
Word family
- subjectionnounC1
- subjectiveadjectiveB2
- subjectivelyadverbC1
- subjectivitynounC1
- subjugateverbC1
- subjugationnounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All four words refer to something people discuss or think about, but they differ in scope and formality. 'Topic' is the most neutral and widely used — it simply names what a conversation or text is about ('The topic of the lecture was ocean pollution'). 'Theme' goes deeper: it suggests the central idea or message running through a work, not just its surface content ('The theme of the novel is the cost of ambition'). 'Issue' implies a problem or point of debate that people disagree about ('Climate change is a pressing issue for policymakers'). 'Matter' is the most formal and vague, often used in fixed phrases ('the matter at hand') or legal contexts. In everyday conversation, 'topic' and 'subject' are nearly interchangeable. For example, you can say 'Let's change the topic' or 'Let's change the subject' — both are natural. However, 'Let's change the issue' would sound odd because 'issue' implies a problem, not just something being discussed.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'subject' entered English through Old French 'sujet,' from Latin 'subjectus' — the past participle of 'subicere,' meaning 'to place under' or 'to bring under.' The Latin root combines 'sub-' (under) and 'jacere' (to throw). This original sense of 'being under something' runs through all modern meanings: a subject is under discussion (topic), under a ruler (citizen), or under authority (controlled). The grammatical sense — the noun that the verb is 'about' — follows the same logic: the subject is what the rest of the sentence is placed 'under' or depends on.