subordinating conjunction

or subordinate conjunction

noun

, Grammar.

1. a conjunction introducing a subordinate clause, as when in They were glad when I finished.

subordinating conjunction

noun

1. a conjunction that introduces subordinate clauses, such as if, because, although, and until Compare coordinating conjunction

Word History and Origins

Origin of subordinating conjunction¹

First recorded in 1870–75; subordinate + -ing ²

Example Sentences

The butler can be a “pain in the glute” and a “blabber,” Carter tells us, while Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick gently chides that you should never “begin your sentence with a subordinating conjunction,” like “because.”

From New York Times

For that matter, many of the words that were traditionally called subordinating conjunctions, like before and after, are actually prepositions.

From Literature

While or any other subordinating conjunction introduces a dependent clause; a dependent clause is not a sentence; it can never stand alone.

From Project Gutenberg