- (v.t.) To destroy the force of; to overcome; as, medicines subdue a fever.
- (v.t.) To render submissive; to bring under command; to reduce to mildness or obedience; to tame; as, to subdue a stubborn child; to subdue the temper or passions.
- (v.t.) To reduce to tenderness; to melt; to soften; as, to subdue ferocity by tears.
- (v.t.) To overcome, as by persuasion or other mild means; as, to subdue opposition by argument or entreaties.
- (v.t.) To reduce the intensity or degree of; to tone down; to soften; as, to subdue the brilliancy of colors.
- (v.t.) To overpower so as to disable from further resistance; to crush.
- (v.t.) To make mellow; to break, as land; also, to destroy, as weeds.
- (v.t.) To bring under; to conquer by force or the exertion of superior power, and bring into permanent subjection; to reduce under dominion; to vanquish.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). Subdue. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/subdue/definitions/2067607 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "Subdue" http://smartdefine.org/subdue/definitions/2067607 (accessed September 24, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, Subdue, Smart Define, viewed 24 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/subdue/definitions/2067607>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "Subdue" 28 May 2011. Web. 24 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/subdue/definitions/2067607> |