Dictionary

subscribe en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /səbˈskɹaɪb/ (US)

Etymology

From Middle English subscriben, subskryben, from Latin subscrībere (“write beneath”). By surface analysis, sub- + scribe. Compare its native English equivalent underwrite.

Meanings

1. (qualifier:archaic outside law) To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name).
   • […] although the will is holographic, and a holographic instrument cannot be admitted to probate where testator told the subscribing witnesses that it was not his will, […] 1906, The New York Supplement, page 729:
   • [They] subscribed their names under them. c. 1510, Thomas More, The Life of Pico della Mirandola:
   • Commission to take testimony: testimony of subscribing witnesses may be taken by commission […] 1957, Estates of Incompetent Veterans: Hearings Before the United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, page 1968:
2. (transitive) To sign; to mark with one's signature as a token of consent or attestation.
   • All the bishops subscribed the sentence. 1855, Henry Hart Milman, History of Latin Christianity:
   • Officers subscribe their official acts, and secretaries and clerks subscribe copies or records.
   • Parties subscribe a covenant or contract; a man subscribes a bond.
   • [E]very officer who shall hereafter be appointed, shall, before he enters on the duties of his office, subscribe these rules and regulations. 1806, US Articles of War:
3. (ergative) To sign up to have copies of a publication, such as a newspaper or a magazine, delivered for a period of time.
   • Would you like to subscribe or subscribe a friend to our new magazine, Lexicography Illustrated?
4. 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.
5. To believe or agree with a theory or an idea [with to].
   • I don’t subscribe to that theory.
6. To pay money to be a member of an organization.
7. (intransitive) To contribute or promise to contribute money to a common fund.
   • […] 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; 1913, Theodore Roosevelt, Autobiography:
   • The culprits are old boys of Ardingly College, Sussex, who, in years gone by, wrote their names on the walls of the organ loft, an act which was strictly forbidden. Now they have been invited to subscribe towards the £400 required to make improvements to the organ. 1952, The Children's Newspaper, volume 1736, London, page 6:
8. (transitive) To promise to give, by writing one's name with the amount.
   • Each man subscribed ten dollars.
9. 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. 1776, Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations:
10. (obsolete) To sign away; to yield; to surrender.
    • Admit no other way to save his life , (As I subscribe not that, nor any other, But in the loss of question) […] c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
11. (obsolete) To yield; to admit to being inferior or in the wrong.
12. (obsolete, transitive) To declare over one's signature; to publish.
    • I will subscribe him a coward. 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
13. (intransitive) To indicate interest in the communications made by a person or organization.
    • Please like this video, and subscribe to my YouTube channel.
14. (intransitive) To register for notifications about an event or similar.
    • If you subscribe to the MouseClick event, your application can react to the user clicking the mouse.

Forms

Deriveds

resubscribe · nonsubscribing · unsubscribe · nonsubscriber · unsubscriber · undersubscribed · subscriber · subscribership · undersubscribe · oversubscribe · oversubscriber · subscribable

Relateds

subscriptive · subscriptively · subscription · subscript

Synonyms

underwrite (multiple senses) · sign up (multiple senses)

Translations (123)

nb publisere (to publish) · nb underskrive (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · es subscribir (to believe or agree with an idea) · hy բաժանորդագրվել (to sign up to receive a publication) · sv abonnera (to pay for the provision of a service) · fi tilata (to sign up to receive a publication) · be падпіса́цца (to sign up to receive a publication) · fi julistaa (to publish) · nl abonneren (to sign up to receive a publication) · es suscribir (to believe or agree with an idea) · hu előfizet (to pay for the provision of a service) · uk підпи́суватися (to sign up to receive a publication) · ro abona (to sign up to receive a publication) · ca subscriure's (to sign up to receive a publication) · eo aboni (to sign up to receive a publication) · ko 구독하다 (to sign up to receive a publication) · nb undertegne (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · nn undertegne (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · fr s'abonner (to sign up to receive a publication) · mk се претплатува (to sign up to receive a publication) · pl zaabonować (to sign up to receive a publication) · fr souscrire (to sign up to receive a publication) · fi merkitä osakkeita (to agree to buy shares in a company) · cmn 同意 (to believe or agree with an idea) · cs předplácet si (to sign up to receive a publication) · cmn 認購 /认购 (to agree to buy shares in a company) · de abonnieren (to sign up to receive a publication) · nb abonnere (to sign up to receive a publication) · vi đăng kí (to pay money to be a member of an organization) · be падпі́свацца (to sign up to receive a publication) · uk передпла́чувати (to sign up to receive a publication) · pl subskrybować (to agree to buy shares in a company) · ny kulémba (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · az yazılmaq (to sign up to receive a publication) · bg приемам (to believe or agree with an idea) · hsb abonować (to sign up to receive a publication) · ru вы́писать (to sign up to receive a publication) · fi allekirjoittaa (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · uk передплати́ти (to sign up to receive a publication) · ro subscrie (to contribute or promise to contribute) · ru подписа́ться (to sign up to receive a publication) · sh претпла́тити (to sign up to receive a publication) · cmn 訂閱 /订阅 (to sign up to receive a publication) · cs předplatit si (to sign up to receive a publication) · ka გამოწერა (to sign up to receive a publication) · pl abonować (to sign up to receive a publication) · cy tanysgrifio (to sign up to receive a publication) · mk се претплати (to sign up to receive a publication) · mi ohauru (to sign up to receive a publication) · fi luvata lahjoittaa (to contribute or promise to contribute) · nn abonnere (to sign up to receive a publication) · hu feliratkozik (to sign up to receive a publication) · fi allekirjoittaa (to sign at the bottom of a document) · yi אַבאָנירן (to sign up to receive a publication) · uk підписа́тися (to sign up to receive a publication) · vi thuê bao (to pay for the provision of a service) · fi tilata (to pay for the provision of a service) · cmn 認捐 /认捐 (to contribute or promise to contribute) · hy ստորագրել (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · ka გამოიწერს (to sign up to receive a publication) · fi olla asiakas (to pay for the provision of a service) · cs podepsat (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · mk се претплаќа (to sign up to receive a publication) · fi ostaa (to pay for the provision of a service) · ru выпи́сывать (to sign up to receive a publication) · es subscribirse (to sign up to receive a publication) · fi alistua (to yield; to surrender) · ja 購読する (to sign up to receive a publication) · es abonar (to pay for the provision of a service) · he נִמְנָה (to sign up to receive a publication) · ru запи́сываться (to contribute or promise to contribute) · mi ohauru (to pay money to be a member of an organization) · ar اِشْتَرَكَ (to sign up to receive a publication) · es suscribirse (to sign up to receive a publication) · nn underskrive (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · pl subskrybować (to sign up to receive a publication) · nb betro (to believe or agree with an idea) · fi allekirjoittaa (to believe or agree with an idea) · ru подпи́сывать (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · ga foscríobh (to sign up to receive a publication) · ru записа́ться (to contribute or promise to contribute) · ru подписа́ть (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · izh kirjuttaa (to sign up to receive a publication) · bg подписвам (to sign at the bottom of a document) · sv teckna sig för (to agree to buy shares in a company) · nn abonere (to pay for the provision of a service) · sv prenumerera (to sign up to receive a publication) · tr abone olmak (to sign up to receive a publication) · sjd кырьйхуввэ (to sign up to receive a publication) · pl zaabonować (to pay for the provision of a service) · vi đăng kí (to sign up to receive a publication) · ru подпи́сываться (to sign up to receive a publication) · cs zapsat se (to contribute or promise to contribute) · sv skriva under (to believe or agree with an idea) · id langgan (to sign up to receive a publication) · fi maksaa jäsenmaksu (to pay money to be a member of an organization) · cmn 簽署 /签署 (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · it abbonarsi (to sign up to receive a publication) · cmn 認購 /认购 (to contribute or promise to contribute) · fi lahjoittaa (to contribute or promise to contribute) · pt assinar (to pay for the provision of a service) · lv abonēt (to sign up to receive a publication) · sh pretplátiti (to sign up to receive a publication) · cmn 訂購 /订购 (to sign up to receive a publication) · ro subscrie (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · vi đăng kí (to pay for the provision of a service) · nb signere (to sign at the bottom of a document) · nb overgi (to yield; to surrender) · mi ohauru (to pay for the provision of a service) · bg абони́рам (to sign up to receive a publication) · fi luovuttaa (to yield; to admit to being inferior or in the wrong) · pt aderir apoiar concordar (to believe or agree with an idea) · fr abonner (to sign up to receive a publication) · pt assinar (to sign up to receive a publication) · eu harpidetu (to sign up to receive a publication) · nb abonnere (to pay for the provision of a service) · pl abonować (to pay for the provision of a service) · cmn 訂閱 /订阅 (to pay for the provision of a service) · is undirrita (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · mk потпи́шува (to sign as token of consent or attestation) · da abonnere (to sign up to receive a publication) · ms langgan (to sign up to receive a publication) · fi luvata lahjoittaa (to promise to give)