subdue — English Dictionary

Verb

1. To overcome, quieten, or bring under control.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Synonyms

   restrainstifleunderbring

   Examples

   More examples (3)

   And when their ſcattered armie is ſubdu’d: And you march on their ſlaughtered carkaſſes, Share equally the gold that bought their liues, And liue like Gentlmen in Perſea, […]

   Gary Cahill, a target for Arsenal and Tottenham before the transfer window closed, put England ahead early on and Rooney was on target twice before the interval as the early hostility of the Bulgarian supporters was swiftly subdued.

   “It's like the opposite of punk, isn't it?” he said jokingly in 2016 while discussing his influence on other musicians. “I've subdued a generation.” But [James] Blake is not so quiescent after all.

2. To bring (a country) under control by force.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Synonyms

   conquerunderbring

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   In the run-up to his return to the White House next Monday, Mr. Trump has rattled the world, and America’s neighborhood in particular, with a list of objectives – buying Greenland, seizing the Panama Canal, making Canada the 51st state – that treat friendly nations as weak interlocutors and impediments to be subdued.

Verb

1. put down by force or intimidation

   Synonyms

   repressquashkeep downsubjugatereduce

   Broader terms

   oppresssuppresscrush

   Examples

   The government quashes any attempt of an uprising

   China keeps down her dissidents very efficiently

   More examples (1)

   The rich landowners subjugated the peasants working the land

2. bring under control by force or authority

   Synonyms

   suppressstamp downconquer

   Broader terms

   controlhold inholdcontaincheckcurbmoderate

   Examples

   suppress a nascent uprising

   stamp down on littering

   More examples (1)

   conquer one's desires

3. hold within limits and control

   Synonyms

   mortifycrucify

   Broader terms

   controlhold inholdcontaincheckcurbmoderate

   Examples

   subdue one's appetites

   mortify the flesh

4. get on top of; deal with successfully

   Synonyms

   overcomeget oversurmountmaster

   Broader terms

   beatbeat outcrushshelltrouncevanquish

   Examples

   He overcame his shyness

5. make subordinate, dependent, or subservient

   Synonyms

   subordinate

   Broader terms

   lowerlour

   Examples

   Our wishes have to be subordinated to that of our ruler

6. correct by punishment or discipline

   Synonyms

   tamechasten

   Broader terms

   changealtermodify