to subject (someone or something) to

idiom

1

: to cause or force (someone or something) to experience (something harmful, unpleasant, etc.)

They are suspected of subjecting their children to abuse.

The test involved subjecting the sample to intense heat.

—often used as (be) subjected to

The prisoners were subjected to torture.

During the hurricane, many buildings were subjected to 100 mile-per-hour winds.

No one should have to be subjected to my uncle's bad jokes.

2

: to bring (someone or something) under (one's control or rule)

Alexander the Great subjected much of Europe and Asia to his rule.

He subjected her to his will.

Examples of to subject (someone or something) to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This mandate was built, however, on earlier findings by federal district courts that special-needs children had rights, which are much harder than mere interests to trade off against other goods or to subject to cost-benefit criteria. —Francis Fukuyama, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2014

After the software offers up a list of possible matches, humans decide whom to subject to further investigation. —WIRED, 25 Sep. 2023

The role of armed police on campus continues to subject to debate. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2023

And the notion that mashing up two songs is now going to subject someone to a claim of copying or infringement after the fact is absurd. —Chris Willman, Variety, 5 May 2023

Childless adults, on the other hand, may be considered less deserving of string-free benefits by the general public and thus easier to subject to additional work requirements. —Grace Segers, The New Republic, 24 May 2023

Fortunately, this is something that should be relatively simple to subject to replication. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 13 Oct. 2022