subtitle

American  

[suhb-tahyt-l] / ˈsʌbˌtaɪt l /

noun

1. a secondary or subordinate title of a literary work, usually of explanatory character.

2. a repetition of the leading words in the full title of a book at the head of the first page of text.

3. Movies, Television, Digital Technology.

   1. a translation or transcription of spoken language in a television program, film, video, or video game, as of dialogue in a foreign language or speech that is audible but may not be easily understood, displayed as a graphic overlay on the lower part of the screen.

   2. caption.

   3. (in silent films) an intertitle or caption.

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verb (used with object)

subtitled, subtitling

1. to supply a subtitle or subtitles for.

subtitle British  

/ ˈsʌbˌtaɪtəl, -ˈtɪtʃə-, sʌbˈtɪtjʊlə /

noun

1. an additional subordinate title given to a literary or other work

2. Also called: caption.  (often plural) films

   1. a written translation superimposed on a film that has foreign dialogue

   2. explanatory text on a silent film

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verb

1. (tr; usually passive) to provide a subtitle for

Other Word Forms

• subtitular adjective
• unsubtitled adjective

Etymology

Origin of subtitle

First recorded in 1875–80; sub- + title

Example Sentences

Okrent’s subtitle, “Art Isn’t Easy,” is a lyric from Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

“Her words are shocking to modern readers,” Ms. DuBois writes in this fine and necessary account of “a revolutionary life,” as the book’s subtitle has it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

Its subtitle, about awakening and survival, underlines Mrie’s trajectory from submissive daughter to political actor and skilled observer.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Titled “The Eternal Pursuit of Unhappiness,” its blunt subtitle reads, “Being very good is no good. You have to be very, very, very, very, very good.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

Well, if we can't fix it with a subtitle, we'll have to change the situation, then.

From Linda Lee, Incorporated A Novel by Vance, Louis Joseph

Related Words

• call
• describe
• dub