subunit
noun
sub·unit
ˈsəb-ˌyü-nət 
variants
or less commonly sub-unit
plural subunits also sub-units
: a unit that is part of a larger unit : a subdivision of a unit
In the U.S. Army's case … the smallest subunit is the squad (nine to twelve individuals under a sergeant).—
Norman Friedman
Norman FriedmanBecause of a quirk in the replicative machinery, when a strand of DNA is duplicated during mitosis, a few subunits at one end are always lost.—John Rennie
John RennieExamples of subunit in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Integral to the design of new facades were synthetic polymers: materials made of chains of repeating subunits, and which are the main ingredient of household plastics.
—Alex Christian, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2024
Unlike traditional vaccines, which rely on injecting a dose of the entire disabled or weakened virus, scientists developing protein subunit vaccines pick out only specific fragments of the virus to trigger an immune response.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 1 Feb. 2022
Polymers are formed by chemical reactions among subunits called monomers, which can link up to create a gel like the type used in gummy candies.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 8 June 2023
Shionogi also recently applied for approval to market a protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine.
—Bydennis Normile, science.org, 9 Feb. 2023
Scaling a battery from a subunit of a single cell to a full cell and eventually to a full battery pack can create a lot of problems, says Srinivasan.
—Daniel Oberhaus, Wired, 8 Dec. 2020
Explore See latest videos, charts and news The album contains 10 tracks, all of which feature different combinations of the members across group subunits.
—Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2023
The idea is that, once emplaced, a Littoral Regiment can scatter smaller subunits armed with sensors, anti-ship missiles, and air-defense missiles throughout an area.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 6 July 2023
Moreover, the subunits of the battle groups had to come from and be paid for by EU member states, which led to shirking, particularly by smaller countries.
—Radek Sikorski, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2023
Alex Christian, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2024
Unlike traditional vaccines, which rely on injecting a dose of the entire disabled or weakened virus, scientists developing protein subunit vaccines pick out only specific fragments of the virus to trigger an immune response.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 1 Feb. 2022
Polymers are formed by chemical reactions among subunits called monomers, which can link up to create a gel like the type used in gummy candies.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 8 June 2023
Shionogi also recently applied for approval to market a protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine.
—Bydennis Normile, science.org, 9 Feb. 2023
Scaling a battery from a subunit of a single cell to a full cell and eventually to a full battery pack can create a lot of problems, says Srinivasan.
—Daniel Oberhaus, Wired, 8 Dec. 2020
Explore See latest videos, charts and news The album contains 10 tracks, all of which feature different combinations of the members across group subunits.
—Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2023
The idea is that, once emplaced, a Littoral Regiment can scatter smaller subunits armed with sensors, anti-ship missiles, and air-defense missiles throughout an area.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 6 July 2023
Moreover, the subunits of the battle groups had to come from and be paid for by EU member states, which led to shirking, particularly by smaller countries.
—Radek Sikorski, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subunit.' 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 subunit
Cite this Entry
“Subunit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subunit. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
subunit
noun
sub·unit
ˈsəb-ˌyü-nət
: a unit that forms a discrete part of a more comprehensive unit
subunits of a protein
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