Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
 
Help

Submarine

 - 4 dictionary results

sub⋅ma⋅rine

[n. suhb-muh-reen, suhb-muh-reen; adj., v. suhb-muh-reen] noun, adjective, verb, -rined, -rin⋅ing.
–noun
1. a vessel that can be submerged and navigated under water, usually built for warfare and armed with torpedoes or guided missiles.
2. something situated or living under the surface of the sea, as a plant or animal.
3. Chiefly Northeastern and North Midland U.S. a hero sandwich.
–adjective
4. situated, occurring, operating, or living under the surface of the sea: a submarine mountain.
5. of, pertaining to, or carried on by a submarine or submarines: submarine warfare.
–verb (used without object)
6. to participate in the operating of a submarine.
7. to move or slide under something.
8. Slang.
a. to be thrown under the steering wheel of the vehicle one is driving during a frontal crash.
b. to be thrown out of one's seat belt in such a crash.
–verb (used with object)
9. to attack or sink by submarine.

Origin:
1640–50; 1895–1900 for def. 1; sub- + marine


3. See hero sandwich.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Submarine
sub·ma·rine   (sŭb'mə-rēn', sŭb'mə-rēn')   
n.  
  1. Nautical A vessel that is capable of operating submerged. Also called sub1.

  2. A large sandwich consisting of a long roll split lengthwise and filled with layers of meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and condiments. Also called sub1; also called regionally Cuban sandwich, grinder, hero, hoagie, Italian sandwich, poor boy, torpedo, wedge, zep.

adj.  Beneath the surface of the water; undersea.
v.   sub·ma·rined, sub·ma·rin·ing, sub·ma·rines

v.   tr.
  1. To attack by submarine, especially with torpedoes.

  2. Sports To knock down with a blow to the legs.

  3. Baseball To pitch (a ball) with an underhand motion.

v.   intr.
To slide, drive, or throw under something.
The long sandwich featuring layers of meat and cheese on a crusty Italian roll or French bread goes by a variety of names. These names are not distributed in a pattern similar to that of other regional words because their use depends on the business and marketing enterprise of the people who create the sandwiches and sell them. Submarine and sub are widespread terms, not assignable to any particular region. Many of the localized terms are clustered in the northeast United States, where the greatest numbers of Italian Americans live. In Maine, it is called an Italian sandwich, befitting its heritage. Elsewhere in New England and in Sacramento, California, it is often called a grinder. New York City knows it as a hero. In the Delaware Valley, including Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, the sandwich is called a hoagie. Speakers in Miami use the name Cuban sandwich. Along the Gulf Coast the same sandwich is often called a poor boy. In New Orleans, a poor boy is likely to be offered in a version featuring fried oysters.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
submarine

  1. n.
    and sub; hoagy; torpedo; grinder; poor boy; hero. a long sandwich containing many different foods. (Sometimes many feet long. It is cut into smaller segments for serving a group. Usually contains sliced meats and cheese, as well as tomatoes and onions. Terms vary depending on where you are in the country.) : He ordered a submarine, but he couldn't finish it.
  2. n.
    a large marijuana cigarette. : Look at the size of that sub!
  3. n.
    [menstrual] tampon. : My God! I'm out of submarines!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

submarine  (adj.)
1648, from sub- + marine. The noun meaning "submarine boat" is from 1899. The short form sub is first recorded 1917. Submarine sandwich (1955) so called from the shape of the roll.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see Submarine on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: