subprime

adjective

sub·​prime ˈsəb-ˌprīm 

1

: having or being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate and is extended chiefly to a borrower who has a poor credit rating or is judged to be a potentially high risk for default (as due to low income)

subprime mortgages

a subprime loan

2

: extending or obtaining a subprime loan

subprime lenders

subprime borrowers

Examples of subprime in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Someone with a subprime credit score may pay an interest rate of around 22%, while someone in the prime credit range could drop that to about 18%. —Ryan Barone, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

As with more recent subprime mortgages, brokers sold, bundled, and resold crummy contracts so many times that the people left holding the bag had no clue what was in it. —Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025

The Department of Homeland Security denied the conditions in the facility were subprime. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2025

The subprime tax affects roughly 21% of American adults, Bankrate estimated. —Ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1995, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for subprime

• airtime
• bedtime
• daytime
• downtime
• enzyme
• halftime
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• meantime
• nighttime

Legal Definition

subprime

adjective

sub·​prime ˈsəb-ˌprīm 

1

: having or being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate and is extended especially to low-income borrowers

subprime mortgages

2

: extending or obtaining a subprime loan

subprime lenders

subprime borrowers