sub

sub — 動詞

1. to take part in a sports game as the person who fills in for another player who

1.動詞不及物B1
釋義

替補

代替其他球員上場比賽

to take part in a sports game as the person who fills in for another player who cannot keep playing

例句

Linh subbed for the injured goalkeeper in the second half.

Linh 在第二半場代替受傷的守門員上場。

sub for [someone's position]

Cyrus subbed in after the team's star player twisted his ankle.

Cyrus 在隊上明星球員扭傷腳踝後替補上場。

sub in — intransitive phrasal verb

同義詞

文法句型

sub for [someone/someone's position]

sub in

用法筆記

Informal short form of 'substitute'. Only used in a sports context. The player who enters the game is the subject.

常見錯誤

❌The coach subbed Linh in the second half.' (when meaning the coach made a substitution).
✅Linh subbed in the second half.
💡when 'sub' is intransitive, the entering player is the subject. For the coach's action, use sense 3 instead ('The coach subbed Linh in').

2. to do someone's job or duty for a short time while they are away or unable to do

2.動詞不及物B1
釋義

代理

暫時接替他人工作

to do someone's job or duty for a short time while they are away or unable to do it

例句

Élise subbed for the biology teacher who had caught the flu.

Élise 代替感冒請假的生物老師上課。

sub for [someone] (work context)

Christopher subbed for his manager during the weekly sales meeting.

Christopher 在週三的業務會議上代替經理出席。

同義詞

文法句型

sub for [someone]

sub for [someone] at [event]

用法筆記

Like sense 1, this is the intransitive use of 'sub' meaning the covering person is the subject. The workplace context is the key difference from sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌Élise subbed the biology teacher.' (treating it as transitive).
✅Élise subbed for the biology teacher.
💡the preposition 'for' is required here.

3. to take one player off the field and send a different player on, an action norma

3.動詞及物B1
釋義

換人

比賽中更換上場球員

to take one player off the field and send a different player on, an action normally taken by the coach

例句

The manager subbed Jude in after the first half of the game.

教練在比賽上半場結束後換上 Jude。

sub [player] in — transitive with adverb particle

Felipe was subbed out in the last ten minutes of the match.

Felipe 在比賽最後十分鐘被換下場。

passive: be subbed out

同義詞
  • replace

    formal, not limited to sports

  • swap

    informal, implies exchanging one for another

反義詞
  • keep on

    to let a player continue playing

文法句型

sub [player] [in/out/off]

be subbed [in/out/off]

用法筆記

This is the transitive version of sense 1 — the coach or manager is the subject, and the replaced player is the object. The passive form ('be subbed off/out') is very common when describing a player's experience.

常見錯誤

❌Felipe subbed out in the last ten minutes.' (when meaning he was taken off).
✅Felipe was subbed out in the last ten minutes.
💡'sub out' needs a grammatical subject who makes the substitution, or use the passive voice.

4. to use one item, ingredient, or material instead of another in a recipe, project

4.動詞及物B2
釋義

取代

用某物代替另一樣物品

to use one item, ingredient, or material instead of another in a recipe, project, or task

例句

Adina subbed olive oil for butter in the cake to make it lighter.

Adina 在蛋糕中用橄欖油取代奶油，讓口感更清爽。

sub [new item] for [original item] — the replacement item comes first

Mert subbed tofu for chicken in the soup to make it vegetarian.

Mert 在湯裡用豆腐取代雞肉，做成素食版本。

同義詞
  • substitute

    the full form, more formal

  • swap

    suggests exchanging, often in cooking

  • replace with

    the original item is the object of the verb

文法句型

sub [new item] for [original item]

用法筆記

The pattern 'sub A for B' means A is the new thing being used, and B is the original thing being replaced. This is a frequent point of confusion.

常見錯誤

❌Adina subbed butter for olive oil.' (meaning the cake has olive oil instead of butter).
✅Adina subbed olive oil for butter.
💡the first item after 'sub' is the one being used, the item after 'for' is the one being replaced.

5. to remove something and put a different thing in its place, especially as an imp

5.動詞及物B2
釋義

換掉

停用原物並改用替代品

to remove something and put a different thing in its place, especially as an improvement or update

例句

The design team decided to sub out the old company logo.

設計團隊決定換掉舊的公司標誌。

sub out [noun] — phrasal verb pattern

Dr. Chen subbed out the damaged parts of the machine and fitted new ones.

陳醫師換掉機器上損壞的零件，裝上了新的。

同義詞
  • replace

    neutral register, more standard

  • swap out

    equally informal, same structure

  • change

    general word, less specific

反義詞
  • keep

    to continue using the original item

文法句型

sub out [item]

sub [item] out

用法筆記

Unlike sense 4 (which introduces the replacement item with 'for'), this sense uses the phrasal verb 'sub out' and the original item being removed is the direct object. The replacement may be stated later with 'for' or left implied.

6. to read through a piece of writing and correct its errors or improve its style s

6.動詞及物B2
釋義

審稿

檢查並修改文稿的錯誤

to read through a piece of writing and correct its errors or improve its style so it is ready for publishing

例句

The publisher hired a freelancer to sub the chapters of the new novel.

出版社聘請了一名自由工作者來審閱這本小說的各章節。

sub [document] — sub-editing context

The copy editor stayed late to sub the articles for the morning paper.

文字編輯熬夜審閱早報要用的文章。

同義詞
  • sub-edit

    the full form, more formal

  • copy-edit

    American English equivalent

  • proofread

    focuses on correcting errors rather than improving style

文法句型

sub [text/document/article]

用法筆記

Primarily used in British English publishing and journalism. The more common full form is 'sub-edit'. In American English, 'copy-edit' is preferred.

常見錯誤

❌The writer subbed his own article.' (authors typically don't sub their own work).
✅A professional sub-editor subbed the article.
💡'sub' in this sense is usually done by someone other than the original writer.

7. to be employed as a sub-editor — checking and preparing written material at a ne

7.動詞不及物C1
釋義

當副編

擔任報社或出版社的編輯工作

to be employed as a sub-editor — checking and preparing written material at a newspaper, magazine, or publishing house before it goes to print.

例句

Élise subs for a local Bristol newspaper, checking around thirty news articles for grammar and accuracy each weekend.

Élise 在布里斯托一家地方報社當副編，每個週末檢查約三十篇新聞稿的文法和事實正確性。

sub + for + [publication]

After university, Diya moved to Glasgow to sub for a national Sunday newspaper, polishing political columns each Saturday night.

大學畢業後，Diya 搬到格拉斯哥，在一家全國性週日報社擔任副編，每週六晚上負責潤飾政治專欄。

同義詞
  • edit

    broader meaning; 'edit' can refer to any text, whereas 'sub' is specific to journalism and publishing roles

  • proofread

    narrower and more specific; 'proofread' focuses on finding mistakes, while sub-editing involves rewriting and restructuring text

文法句型

sub + for + publication/company

用法筆記

Typically used in British journalism contexts. The preposition for introduces the publication; at introduces the employer. This sense describes the job role itself, not the action of editing a specific text.

常見錯誤

❌Élise subs the article before it goes to print.
✅Élise works as a sub-editor for a local newspaper.
💡This sense describes the job role, not the act of editing a specific piece of writing.

8. to lend someone a small amount of money — usually as a temporary arrangement unt

8.動詞及物B2
釋義

墊錢

先借錢給人，等對方有錢再還

to lend someone a small amount of money — usually as a temporary arrangement until they receive their wages or can pay the money back.

例句

Faisal asked his colleague to sub him a tenner until payday.

Faisal 請同事先墊十英鎊給他，等發薪水再還。

sub + person + amount

Nia subbed Leo twenty pounds for the taxi fare home.

Nia 墊了二十英鎊給 Leo 付計程車錢回家。

同義詞
  • lend

    more standard and widely understood; 'sub' is informal British English only

  • advance

    more formal; 'advance' often implies an employer giving wages early, whereas 'sub' can be between friends

  • spot

    British informal, similar register but less common; 'spot' often implies a smaller, more spontaneous loan

反義詞
  • borrow

    opposite direction of money transfer; the person receiving the sub borrows; the person giving it subs

文法句型

sub + person + money

sub + person

用法筆記

British informal. Typically used with a direct object (the person) and optionally the amount. The money is usually a small sum for immediate, short-term needs.

常見錯誤

❌Can you sub me some money until tomorrow?' (correct in British English).
✅Can you lend me some money until tomorrow?' (more widely understood)
💡In American English, 'sub' does not carry this meaning; use 'lend' or 'spot' instead.

sub — 名詞

sub — 縮寫

sub — 字首