subscription

[ suhb-skrip-shuhn ]

noun

1. a sum of money given or pledged as a contribution, payment, investment, etc.
2. the right to receive a periodical for a sum paid, usually for an agreed number of issues.
3. an arrangement for presenting a series of concerts, plays, etc., that one may attend by the payment of a membership fee:

   to purchase a 10-concert subscription.

4. the right to receive a service or access text online for a certain period of time:

   a subscription to a media streaming service; a subscription to an online encyclopedia; a satellite-TV subscription.

5. Chiefly British. the dues paid by a member of a club, society, etc.
6. a fund raised through sums of money subscribed.
7. a sum subscribed.
8. the act of appending one's signature or mark, as to a document.
9. a signature or mark thus appended.
10. something written beneath or at the end of a document or the like.
11. a document to which a signature is attached.
12. assent, agreement, or approval expressed verbally or by signing one's name.
13. Ecclesiastical. assent to or acceptance of a body of principles or doctrines, the purpose of which is to establish uniformity.
14. Church of England. formal acceptance of the Thirty-nine Articles of 1563 and the Book of Common Prayer.

subscription

/ səbˈskrɪpʃən /

noun

1. a payment or promise of payment for consecutive issues of a magazine, newspaper, book, etc, over a specified period of time
2. 1. the advance purchase of tickets for a series of concerts, operas, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      a subscription concert

3. an amount of money paid or promised, as to a charity, or the fund raised in this way
4. an offer to buy shares or bonds issued by a company
5. the act of signing one's name to a document, etc
6. a signature or other appendage attached to the bottom of a document, etc
7. agreement, consent, or acceptance expressed by or as if by signing one's name
8. a signed document, statement, etc
9. the membership dues or fees paid to a society or club
10. acceptance of a fixed body of articles of faith, doctrines, or principles laid down as universally binding upon all the members of a Church
11. med that part of a written prescription directing the pharmacist how to mix and prepare the ingredients: rarely seen today as modern drugs are mostly prepackaged by the manufacturers
12. an advance order for a new product
13. 1. the sale of books, etc, prior to printing
    2. ( as modifier )

       a subscription edition

14. archaic.
    allegiance; submission

Derived Forms

• subˈscriptive, adjective

Other Words From

• sub·scrip·tive [s, uh, b-, skrip, -tiv], adjective
• sub·scriptive·ly adverb
• nonsub·scription noun
• presub·scription noun
• prosub·scription adjective
• resub·scription noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of subscription¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Old French subscription < Latin subscrīptiōn- (stem of subscrīptiō ) “something written beneath, signature, subscription” equivalent to subscrīpt ( us ) ( subscript ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

But a growing number of cable TV viewers have been cancelling their subscriptions and moving on to streaming platforms.

From BBC

Alongside the lies and conspiracy theories, Jones used Infowars to sell millions of dollars’ worth of merchandise such as DVDs and T-shirts, building a media empire that spanned the web, radio and subscription video.

From Los Angeles Times

Fox News parent Fox Corp. does not break out financials for Fox Nation, which is the company’s only subscription video on demand service.

From Los Angeles Times

If Bluesky's owners continue to avoid advertising, they may inevitably have to look to other broader options, such as subscription features, as a way of keeping the lights on.

From BBC

If you wanted to watch your home team, you paid up, with a cable or satellite subscription that required you to pay for dozens of other channels you did not watch.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• contribution