subplot
noun
sub·plot
ˈsəb-ˌplät 
1
: a subordinate plot in fiction or drama
2
: a subdivision of an experimental plot of land
Examples of subplot in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
About two-thirds of the way through, the story wanders too far into subplots.
—
Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
And as the story hurtles toward 1970 (there’s a highly amusing space-race subplot), the powdery, gauzy town of Palm Beach becomes louder, zanier, and more outlandish—with preppy Lilly Pulitzer swapped out for psychedelic Pucci.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024
There are thriller elements, like gunshots and blackmail and secret identities, and absurdist ones, like a whale-centric subplot that might’ve been more at home in Wiig’s Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2024
His subplot serves the meta-narrative, but the nature of it conflicts with what’s happening moment-to-moment.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2024
The brazen coup attempt that took the life of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse holds all the elements of a three-act Shakespearean tragedy: plots and subplots, ambition and betrayal, gore and death, all ensnaring the circle of people closest to him, including his wife.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024
Inside the Crime Rings Trafficking Sand David A. Taylor | Scientific American | February 1, 2024 | 3,485 words
My favorite subplot of Barry?
—Longreads, 26 Jan. 2024
That’s a joy that pervades the book, despite a subplot involving an illicit romance that ends in tragedy.
—Chelsea Leu, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
But the film does deliver some nice emotional moments with a subplot involving Phoebe’s burgeoning friendship with Melody (Emily Alyn Lind, of the Max series Gossip Girl), the ghost of a teenage girl killed in a tenement fire.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024
Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
And as the story hurtles toward 1970 (there’s a highly amusing space-race subplot), the powdery, gauzy town of Palm Beach becomes louder, zanier, and more outlandish—with preppy Lilly Pulitzer swapped out for psychedelic Pucci.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024
There are thriller elements, like gunshots and blackmail and secret identities, and absurdist ones, like a whale-centric subplot that might’ve been more at home in Wiig’s Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2024
His subplot serves the meta-narrative, but the nature of it conflicts with what’s happening moment-to-moment.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2024
The brazen coup attempt that took the life of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse holds all the elements of a three-act Shakespearean tragedy: plots and subplots, ambition and betrayal, gore and death, all ensnaring the circle of people closest to him, including his wife.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024
Inside the Crime Rings Trafficking Sand David A. Taylor | Scientific American | February 1, 2024 | 3,485 words
My favorite subplot of Barry?
—Longreads, 26 Jan. 2024
That’s a joy that pervades the book, despite a subplot involving an illicit romance that ends in tragedy.
—Chelsea Leu, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
But the film does deliver some nice emotional moments with a subplot involving Phoebe’s burgeoning friendship with Melody (Emily Alyn Lind, of the Max series Gossip Girl), the ghost of a teenage girl killed in a tenement fire.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subplot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near subplot
Cite this Entry
“Subplot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subplot. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
subplot
noun
sub·plot
ˈsəb-ˌplät
: a subordinate plot in fiction or drama
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