What does "subscribe" mean?
To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name).
Subscribe
/səbˈskɹaɪb/ verb
verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name).
- Grammar: subscribe is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: pledge, sign up, abet, accede.
- Useful contrasts: unsubscribing, cancel, disallow.
- Usage evidence: The profane language used on network television makes many parents with young children not want to subscribe to cable.
How to use "subscribe"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "subscribe" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "subscribe" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "subscribe" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "subscribe" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "subscribe" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "pledge" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "subscribe", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name).
"[They] subscribed their names under them."
- 2 adopt as a belief wordnet
- 3 To sign; to mark with one's signature as a token of consent or attestation. transitive
"Parties subscribe a covenant or contract; a man subscribes a bond."
- 4 mark with one's signature; write one's name (on) wordnet
- 5 To sign up to have copies of a publication, such as a newspaper or a magazine, delivered for a period of time. ergative
"Would you like to subscribe or subscribe a friend to our new magazine, Lexicography Illustrated?"
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 receive or obtain regularly wordnet
- 7 To pay for the provision of a service, such as Internet access, a cell phone plan, or a streaming service.
"I subscribed to this streaming service years ago."
- 8 offer to buy, as of stocks and shares wordnet
- 9 To believe or agree with a theory or an idea [with to].
"I don’t subscribe to that theory."
- 10 pay (an amount of money) as a contribution to a charity or service, especially at regular intervals wordnet
- 11 To pay money to be a member of an organization.
- 12 To contribute or promise to contribute money to a common fund. intransitive
"[…] under no circumstances could I ever again be nominated for any public office, as no corporation would subscribe to a campaign fund if I was on the ticket, and that they would subscribe most heavily to beat me;"
- 13 To promise to give, by writing one's name with the amount. transitive
"Each man subscribed ten dollars."
- 14 To agree to buy shares in a company.
"The capital which had been subscribed to this bank, at two different subscriptions, amounted to one hundred and sixty thousand pounds, of which eighty per cent only was paid up."
- 15 To sign away; to yield; to surrender. obsolete
"Admit no other way to save his life , (As I subscribe not that, nor any other, But in the loss of question) […]"
- 16 To yield; to admit to being inferior or in the wrong. obsolete
- 17 To declare over one's signature; to publish. obsolete, transitive
"I will subscribe him a coward."
- 18 To indicate interest in the communications made by a person or organization. intransitive
"Please like this video, and subscribe to my YouTube channel."
- 19 To register for notifications about an event or similar. intransitive
"If you subscribe to the MouseClick event, your application can react to the user clicking the mouse."
Antonyms
Example
"The profane language used on network television makes many parents with young children not want to subscribe to cable."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "subscribe"?
Common synonyms include: pledge, sign up, abet, accede, accept, acquiesce.
How do you use "subscribe" in a sentence?
The profane language used on network television makes many parents with young children not want to subscribe to cable.
How do you pronounce "subscribe"?
Pronounced /səbˈskɹaɪb/.
Etymology
From Middle English subscriben, subskryben, from Latin subscrībere. Compare its native English equivalent underwrite.