Meanings
plural subsidies
- countableuncountableFinancial support or assistance, such as a grant.
Manufacturing firms are supported by government subsidies in some countries.
2 more examples
British journalists shun complete respectability, feeling a duty to be ready to savage the mighty, or rummage through their bins. Elsewhere in Europe, government contracts and subsidies ensure that press barons will only defy the mighty so far.
2013 August 10, Lexington, “Keeping the mighty honest”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848You don't have to be Einstein to work out that this level of government subsidy is unsustainable.
2022 January 12, Sir Michael Holden, “Reform of the workforce or death by a thousand cuts?”, in RAIL, number 948, page 22Antonyms: tax
- countabledateduncountableMoney granted by parliament to the British Crown.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounFinancial support or assistance, such as a grant.
Origin
- Latinsubsidium
- Old Frenchsubside
- Anglo-Normansubsidee
- Middle Englishsubsidy
- Englishsubsidy
From Middle English subsidy, subsidie, from Anglo-Norman subsidee, subsidie, from Old French subside, from Latin subsidium (support, assistance), from subsido from sub- (“below”) + sīdō (“sit”).
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic إِعَانَة مَالِيَّة
- إِعَانَة مَالِيَّةfinancial support
Bulgarian субси́дия
- субси́дия (subsídija)financial support
Catalan subsidi, subvenció
- subsidifinancial support
- subvenciófinancial support
Chinese Mandarin 津貼 /津贴, 補貼 /补贴
- 津貼 /津贴 (jīntiē)financial support
- 補貼 /补贴 (bǔtiē)financial support
- 補助 /补助 (bǔzhù)financial support
Czech subvence, podpora
- subvencefinancial support
- podporafinancial support
Danish subsidier
- subsidierfinancial support
Dutch subsidie
- subsidiefinancial support
Esperanto subvencio
- subvenciofinancial support
Finnish avustus, apu
- avustusfinancial support
- apufinancial support
- subventiofinancial support
- tukifinancial support
- valtionapufinancial support
French subvention, subside
- subventionfinancial support
- subsidefinancial support
German Subvention, Unterstützung
- Subventionfinancial support
- Unterstützungfinancial support
- Subsidiumfinancial support
Hebrew תמיכה כספית
- תמיכה כספית (tmikhá kaspít)financial support
Hungarian támogatás, szubvenció
- támogatásfinancial support
- szubvenciófinancial support
- segélyfinancial support
- dotációfinancial support
- kedvezményfinancial support
Italian sovvenzione, sussidio
- sovvenzionefinancial support
- sussidiofinancial support
Japanese 援助, 補助
- 援助 (enjo)financial support
- 補助 (hojo)financial support
Korean 보조, 원조
- 보조 (bojo)financial support
- 원조 (wonjo)financial support
Latvian subsīdija
- subsīdijafinancial support
Lithuanian subsidija
- subsidijafinancial support
Malay subsidi
- subsidifinancial support
Māori moni āwhina, pūtea tāpiri
- moni āwhinafinancial support
- pūtea tāpirifinancial support
- pūtea āwhinafinancial support
Persian سوبسید, یارانه
- سوبسید (subsid)financial support
- یارانه (yârâne)financial support
Polish subwencja
- subwencjafinancial support
Portuguese subsídio, subvenção
- subsídiofinancial support
- subvençãofinancial support
Romanian subvenție
- subvențiefinancial support
Russian субси́дия
- субси́дия (subsídija)financial support
Slovak subvencia, podpora
- subvenciafinancial support
- podporafinancial support
- dotáciafinancial support
- grantfinancial support
- príspevokfinancial support
- pomocfinancial support
- výpomocfinancial support
Spanish subsidio
- subsidiofinancial support
Swahili ruzuku
- ruzukufinancial support
Swedish subvention
- subventionfinancial support
Tagalog tulong
- tulongfinancial support
Turkish sübvansiyon
- sübvansiyonfinancial support
Ukrainian субси́дія
- субси́дія (subsýdija)financial support
Vietnamese trợ cấp
- trợ cấpfinancial support
Cite this entry
subsidy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subsidy
“subsidy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subsidy. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “subsidy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subsidy.
Source: subsidy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.