subdue

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sub·due

(səb-do͞o′, -dyo͞o′)

tr.v. sub·dued, sub·du·ing, sub·dues

1. To subjugate (a region or people, for example) by military force.

a. To bring under control by physical force, persuasion, or other means; overcome: subdued the wild horse; subdued the rebellion in the party ranks.

b. To make less intense or prominent; reduce or tone down: I was unable to subdue my excitement about the upcoming holiday.

3. To bring (land) under cultivation: Farmers subdued the arid lands of Australia.

[Middle English subduen, alteration (influenced by Latin subdere, to subject) of Old French suduire, to seduce, from Latin subdūcere, to withdraw (probably influenced by Latin sēdūcere, to seduce) : sub-, away; see sub- + dūcere, to lead; see deuk- in Indo-European roots.]

sub·du′a·ble adj.

sub·du′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

subdue

(səbˈdjuː)

vb (tr) , -dues, -duing or -dued

1. to establish ascendancy over by force

2. to overcome and bring under control, as by intimidation or persuasion

3. to hold in check or repress (feelings, emotions, etc)

4. to render less intense or less conspicuous

[C14 sobdue, from Old French soduire to mislead, from Latin subdūcere to remove; English sense influenced by Latin subdere to subject]

subˈduable adj

subˈduably adv

subˈdual n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sub•due

(səbˈdu, -ˈdyu)

v.t. -dued, -du•ing.

1. to conquer and bring into subjection: Rome subdued Gaul.

2. to overpower by superior force; overcome.

3. to bring under mental or emotional control, as by persuasion or intimidation.

4. to repress (feelings, impulses, etc.).

5. to bring (land) under cultivation.

6. to reduce the intensity, force, or vividness of (sound, light, color, etc.); tone down; soften.

7. to allay (inflammation, infection, etc.).

[1350–1400; Middle English so(b)duen, so(b)dewen < Anglo-French *soduer to overcome, Old French soduire to deceive, seduce < Latin subdūcere to withdraw (see subduct)]

sub•du′a•ble, adj.

sub•du′a•bly, adv.

sub•du′er, n.

syn: See defeat.

subdue

mortify - From Latin, meaning "kill or subdue the flesh," it originally meant "to kill," then "to destroy the vitality or vigor of," before it took on its present meaning.
pacify - Can mean "to subdue by armed action."
subdue - From Latin subducere, "draw from below."
tame - Came from Indo-European dom-, "tame, subdue."

subdue

Past participle: subdued
Gerund: subduing

Imperative
subdue
subdue

Present
I subdue
you subdue
he/she/it subdues
we subdue
you subdue
they subdue

Preterite
I subdued
you subdued
he/she/it subdued
we subdued
you subdued
they subdued

Present Continuous
I am subduing
you are subduing
he/she/it is subduing
we are subduing
you are subduing
they are subduing

Present Perfect
I have subdued
you have subdued
he/she/it has subdued
we have subdued
you have subdued
they have subdued

Past Continuous
I was subduing
you were subduing
he/she/it was subduing
we were subduing
you were subduing
they were subduing

Past Perfect
I had subdued
you had subdued
he/she/it had subdued
we had subdued
you had subdued
they had subdued

Future
I will subdue
you will subdue
he/she/it will subdue
we will subdue
you will subdue
they will subdue

Future Perfect
I will have subdued
you will have subdued
he/she/it will have subdued
we will have subdued
you will have subdued
they will have subdued

Future Continuous
I will be subduing
you will be subduing
he/she/it will be subduing
we will be subduing
you will be subduing
they will be subduing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been subduing
you have been subduing
he/she/it has been subduing
we have been subduing
you have been subduing
they have been subduing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been subduing
you will have been subduing
he/she/it will have been subduing
we will have been subduing
you will have been subduing
they will have been subduing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been subduing
you had been subduing
he/she/it had been subduing
we had been subduing
you had been subduing
they had been subduing

Conditional
I would subdue
you would subdue
he/she/it would subdue
we would subdue
you would subdue
they would subdue

Past Conditional
I would have subdued
you would have subdued
he/she/it would have subdued
we would have subdued
you would have subdued
they would have subdued

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Verb	1.	subdue - put down by force or intimidation; "The government quashes any attempt of an uprising"; "China keeps down her dissidents very efficiently"; "The rich landowners subjugated the peasants working the land" quash, repress, subjugate, keep down, reduce crush, oppress, suppress - come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority; "The government oppresses political activists"
	2.	subdue - to put down by force or authority; "suppress a nascent uprising"; "stamp down on littering"; "conquer one's desires" conquer, inhibit, stamp down, suppress, curb blink away, blink, wink - force to go away by blinking; "blink away tears" dampen, stifle - smother or suppress; "Stifle your curiosity" choke back, choke down, choke off - suppress; "He choked down his rage" silence, still, hush, hush up, quieten, shut up - cause to be quiet or not talk; "Please silence the children in the church!" burke - get rid of, silence, or suppress; "burke an issue" silence - keep from expression, for example by threats or pressure; "All dissenters were silenced when the dictator assumed power" quell, squelch, quench - suppress or crush completely; "squelch any sign of dissent"; "quench a rebellion" muffle, stifle, strangle, repress, smother - conceal or hide; "smother a yawn"; "muffle one's anger"; "strangle a yawn" curb, hold in, control, moderate, contain, check, hold - lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits; "moderate your alcohol intake"; "hold your tongue"; "hold your temper"; "control your anger"
	3.	subdue - hold within limits and control; "subdue one's appetites"; "mortify the flesh" mortify, crucify mortify - practice self-denial of one's body and appetites curb, hold in, control, moderate, contain, check, hold - lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits; "moderate your alcohol intake"; "hold your tongue"; "hold your temper"; "control your anger"
	4.	subdue - get on top of; deal with successfully; "He overcame his shyness" surmount, master, overcome, get over beat, beat out, vanquish, trounce, crush, shell - come out better in a competition, race, or conflict; "Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship"; "We beat the competition"; "Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game" bulldog - throw a steer by seizing the horns and twisting the neck, as in a rodeo
	5.	subdue - make subordinate, dependent, or subservient; "Our wishes have to be subordinated to that of our ruler" subordinate lour, lower - set lower; "lower a rating"; "lower expectations"
	6.	subdue - correct by punishment or discipline tame, chasten alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"

subdue

verb

1. overcome, defeat, master, break, control, discipline, crush, humble, put down, conquer, tame, overpower, overrun, trample, quell, triumph over, get the better of, vanquish, beat down, get under control, get the upper hand over, gain ascendancy over They admit they have not been able to subdue the rebels.

2. moderate, control, check, suppress, soften, repress, mellow, tone down, quieten down He forced himself to subdue and overcome his fears.
moderate provoke, arouse, stir up, awaken, agitate, incite, whip up, waken

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

subdue

verb

1. To win a victory over, as in battle or a competition:

beat, best, conquer, defeat, master, overcome, prevail against (or over), rout, subjugate, surmount, triumph over, vanquish, worst.

Informal: trim, whip.

Slang: ace, lick.

Idioms: carry the day, get the best of, get the better of, go someone one better.

2. To make or become less severe or extreme:

moderate, mute, qualify, soften, tame, temper, tone down.

Translations

يُخْضِع

podrobit

overvinde

besiegen

reducir sujetar

soumettre éteindre

yfirbuga

attenuare domare dominare sottomettere

apspiest

укрощать

bastırmakboyun eğdirmek

征服

subdue

[səbˈdjuː] VT [+ enemy] → someter, sojuzgar; [+ children, revellers] → calmar, tranquilizar; [+ animal] → amansar, domar; [+ noise] → bajar; [+ passions] → dominar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

subdue

[səbˈdjuː] vt

[+ rebels] → soumettre

[+ anger, fears, urge] → apaiser; [+ delight] → tempérer

subdue

vt rebels, country → unterwerfen; enemy also → besiegen; rioters → überwältigen; demonstrations → niederschlagen; (fig) anger, desire → unterdrücken, zähmen; noise, light, high spirits → dämpfen; animals, children → bändigen; pain → lindern; wilderness → zähmen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

subdue

[səbˈdjuː] vt (enemy) → sottomettere; (children) → far star buono/a; (high spirits) → smorzare; (passions) → controllare

subdue

(səbˈdjuː) verb

to conquer, overcome or bring under control. After months of fighting the rebels were subdued.

subˈdued adjective

quiet; not bright or lively. subdued voices; He seems subdued today.

subdue

a. sumiso-a, dominado-a, subyugado-a;

v. dominar, subyugar.

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References in classic literature ?

Some of the effects are very daring, approaching even to the boldest flights of the rococo, the sirocco, and the Byzantine schools--yet the master's hand never falters--it moves on, calm, majestic, confident--and, with that art which conceals art, it finally casts over the TOUT ENSEMBLE, by mysterious methods of its own, a subtle something which refines, subdues, etherealizes the arid components and endures them with the deep charm and gracious witchery of poesy.

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A MAN having found a Lion in his path undertook to subdue him by the power of the human eye; and near by was a Rattlesnake engaged in fascinating a small bird.

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Meanwhile the dressings on my wound and the embrocation on my sprained wrist steadily subdue the pains which I have felt so far.