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sub-

(SUB)

under or below

Latin for under. A submarine goes under the sea; a subway runs under the street.

Example words

  • submarine

    a vessel that goes under the sea

  • submerge

    to put under water

  • subway

    a railroad that runs under the street

  • subtract

    to take from under — to remove

Words in our dictionary that use this root

Every dataset word containing sub-, with the parts it shares with other roots in our set.

  • subscribe

    to sign up for something, originally by writing your name underneath

  • submit

    to send under someone's authority

  • subtract

    to take away (pull from under)

  • succeed

    to go after — and reach the goal

  • submarine

    a vessel that goes under the sea

  • submerge

    to put under water

  • subway

    a railroad that runs under the street

  • subterranean

    under the ground

Common Core alignment

Grades served: 4, 5

  • L.4.4bUse common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).
  • L.5.4bUse common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., photograph, photosynthesis).

Place & direction. Roots that locate things: under, over, between, before, after.

Browse all place & direction roots →
L.4.4bL.5.4b
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