Standard Lemma guide

subset

noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈsʌbˌsɛt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S AH1 B S EH2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A set A such that every element of A is also an element of S.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences, set-theory

Examples

  • The set of integers is a subset of the set of real numbers.
  • The set #92;lbracea,b#92;rbrace is a both a subset and a proper subset of #92;lbracea,b,c#92;rbrace while the set #92;lbracea,b,c#92;rbrace is a subset of #92;lbracea,b,c#92;rbrace but not a proper subset of #92;lbracea,b,c#92;rbrace.
  • 1963, David B. MacNeil, Modern Mathematics for the Practical Man, David Van Nostrand, Republished as 2013, David B. MacNeil, Fundamentals of Modern Mathematics: A Practical Review, Dover, page 3, In the foregoing example, the set D of the first four letters of the alphabet, was a subset of the set A of all the letters of the alphabet, because A includes all the members of D.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A group of things or people, all of which are in a specified larger group.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • We asked a subset of the population of the town for their opinion.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To take a subset of.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To extract only the portions of (a font) that are needed to display a particular document.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, media, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, publishing, sciences, typography

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a set whose members are members of another set; a set contained within another set

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: set

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub-der. English sub- English set English subset From sub- + set.

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: alt çoxluq — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Bulgarian: подмножество (podmnožestvo) — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Catalan: subconjunt — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Chinese Mandarin: 子集 (zǐjí) — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Czech: podmnožina — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Danish: delmængde — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Dutch: deelverzameling — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Estonian: alamhulk — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Finnish: osajoukko — set whose elements are within another given set
  • French: sous-ensemble — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Georgian: ქვესიმრავლე (kvesimravle) — set whose elements are within another given set
  • German: Untermenge — set whose elements are within another given set
  • German: Teilmenge — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Greek: υποσύνολο (yposýnolo) — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Hebrew: תת קבוצה — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Hindi: उपसमुच्चय (upasmuccay) — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Hungarian: részhalmaz — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Icelandic: hlutmengi — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Irish: fo-thacar — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Italian: sottoinsieme — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Japanese: 部分集合 (bubun jūgō) — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Korean: 부분집합 (bubunjiphap) — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Macedonian: подмно́жество (podmnóžestvo) — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Pannonian Rusyn: подмножество (podmnožestvo) — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Polish: podzbiór — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Portuguese: subconjunto — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Romanian: submulțime — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Russian: подмно́жество (podmnóžestvo) — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Slovene: podmnožica — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Spanish: subconjunto — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Swedish: delmängd — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Tagalog: kubtangkas — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Ukrainian: підмножина́ (pidmnožyná) — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Vietnamese: tập hợp con — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Vietnamese: tập con — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Welsh: is-set — set whose elements are within another given set
  • Finnish: osajoukko — group contained in a larger group
  • French: sous-ensemble — group contained in a larger group
  • Italian: sottogruppo — group contained in a larger group
  • Northern Kurdish: binkom — group contained in a larger group
  • Polish: podgrupa — group contained in a larger group
  • Portuguese: subconjunto — group contained in a larger group
  • Portuguese: subgrupo — group contained in a larger group
  • Romanian: subgrup — group contained in a larger group
  • Romanian: subclasă — group contained in a larger group
  • Russian: подгру́ппа (podgrúppa) — group contained in a larger group
  • Welsh: is-set — group contained in a larger group
  • Welsh: isgasgliad — group contained in a larger group
Real reading context

subset in complete knowledge articles