subtitle

1 of 2

noun

sub·​ti·​tle ˈsəb-ˌtī-tᵊl 

1

: a secondary or explanatory title

2

: a printed statement or fragment of dialogue appearing on the screen between the scenes of a silent movie or appearing as a translation at the bottom of the screen during the scenes of a movie or television show in a foreign language

subtitle

2 of 2

verb

subtitled; subtitling; subtitles

transitive verb

: to give a subtitle to

Examples of subtitle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

All of the show's 911 call readouts, graphics, police interviews, graphics, and subtitles will be translated. —Sara Fischer, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025

And a lot of people have problems with subtitles, especially in America. —Ew Staff, EW.com, 11 Feb. 2025

Verb

The post-production on the adaptation of the popular manga is extensive, so between that and the time required to get a Netflix show dubbed and subtitled, a delay until 2026 is not unreasonable. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2025

Additionally, many users asked Americans to subtitle their videos so they could be translated into Mandarin. —Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1815, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1830, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

subtitle

noun

sub·​ti·​tle

ˈsəb-ˌtīt-ᵊl

1

: a secondary or explanatory title

2

: a printed statement or bit of dialogue appearing on the screen between the scenes of a silent movie or at the bottom of the screen during the scenes of a television show or movie for viewers with hearing loss or as a translation of a foreign language

subtitle verb