subject (subjects plural & 3rd person present) (subjecting present participle) (subjected past tense & past participle )
The noun and adjective are pronounced s^bdʒɪkt. The verb is pronounced səbdʒekt.
1 n-count The subject of something such as a conversation, letter, or book is the thing that is being discussed or written about.
It was I who first raised the subject of plastic surgery., ...the president's own views on the subject.
2 n-count Someone or something that is the subject of criticism, study, or an investigation is being criticized, studied, or investigated.
N of n
Over the past few years, some of the positions Mr. Meredith has adopted have made him the subject of criticism..., He's now the subject of an official inquiry.
3 n-count A subject is an area of knowledge or study, especially one that you study at school, college, or university.
...a tutor in maths and science subjects.
4 n-count In an experiment or piece of research, the subject is the person or animal that is being tested or studied.
FORMAL `White noise' was played into the subject's ears through headphones...
5 n-count An artist's subjects are the people, animals, or objects that he or she paints, models, or photographs.
with supp
Her favourite subjects are shells spotted on beach walks.
6 n-count In grammar, the subject of a clause is the noun group that refers to the person or thing that is doing the action expressed by the verb. For example, in `My cat keeps catching birds', `my cat' is the subject.
7 adj To be subject to something means to be affected by it or to be likely to be affected by it.
v-link ADJ to n
Prices may be subject to alteration..., In addition, interest on Treasury issues isn't subject to state and local income taxes.
8 adj If someone is subject to a particular set of rules or laws, they have to obey those rules or laws.
v-link ADJ to n
The tribunal is unique because Mr Jones is not subject to the normal police discipline code.
9 verb If you subject someone to something unpleasant, you make them experience it.
...the man who had subjected her to four years of beatings and abuse... V n to n
10 n-count The people who live in or belong to a particular country, usually one ruled by a monarch, are the subjects of that monarch or country.
with supp
Roughly half of them are British subjects.
11 When someone involved in a conversation changes the subject, they start talking about something else, often because the previous subject was embarrassing.
change the subject phrase V inflects
He tried to change the subject, but she wasn't to be put off.
12 If an event will take place subject to a condition, it will take place only if that thing happens.
subject to sth prep-phrase They denied a report that Egypt had agreed to a summit, subject to certain conditions.
subject matter , subject-matter
The subject matter of something such as a book, lecture, film, or painting is the thing that is being written about, discussed, or shown. n-uncount
(=subject)
Then, attitudes changed and artists were given greater freedom in their choice of subject matter..., Her subject matter is herself.
