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

He turned its blue ticks - which previously denoted that a high-profile account was bona fide - into a subscription model, and tied advertising payments to "verified" users to the number of interactions they receive.

From BBC

Netflix said Tuesday that it had reached 70 million monthly active users on its ad-supported plan, two years after launching its cheaper subscription tier that includes commercials.

From Los Angeles Times

For the first time, local fans that do not have a cable or satellite subscription will be able to purchase a streaming-only subscription.

From Los Angeles Times

Already, it’s all paid off: Eleven days before the first performance, the show broke even, setting records for the theater’s season subscriptions and single-ticket sales — a rare return in today’s regional theater landscape.

From Los Angeles Times

But if you want to watch the other games taking place this autumn, or have English language commentary, you have to pay via a subscription, which is not a new thing for rugby fans.

From BBC

Related Words

• contribution