sub

/səb/

/səb/

Other forms: subs; subbing; subbed

If a history buff mentions a sub, she's probably referring to an underwater warship. But if your friend wants a sub for lunch, he hasn't suddenly developed a taste for warships — he just wants a sandwich.

Sub is short for submarine, the cylindrical watercraft with rounded ends that can operate deep beneath the water. Sub can also refer to a long sandwich filled with meat, cheese, and veggies; this kind of sub goes by different names in different parts of the country, including hero, hoagie, and grinder. The sub in your geometry classroom is probably just a substitute teacher.

Definitions of sub

1. noun

   a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes
   synonyms: U-boat, pigboat, submarine

   types:

   attack submarine

   a military submarine designed and armed to attack enemy shipping

   auxiliary research submarine

   a submarine for research purposes

   fleet ballistic missile submarine

   a submarine carrying ballistic missiles

   nautilus, nuclear submarine, nuclear-powered submarine

   a submarine that is propelled by nuclear power

   type of:

   submersible, submersible warship

   a warship designed to operate under water
2. noun

   a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States
   synonyms: Cuban sandwich, Italian sandwich, bomber, grinder, hero, hero sandwich, hoagie, hoagy, poor boy, submarine, submarine sandwich, torpedo, wedge, zep

   type of:

   sandwich

   two (or more) slices of bread with a filling between them
3. verb

   be a substitute
   synonyms: fill in, stand in, substitute

   type of:

   change, exchange, interchange

   give to, and receive from, one another