subprime

American

[suhb-prahym] / sʌbˈpraɪm /

adjective

being of less than top quality.

a subprime grade of steel.
being below a prime rate.

banks engaging in subprime lending.

subprime British

/ ˈsʌbˌpraɪm /

adjective

(of a loan) made to a borrower with a poor credit rating, usually at a high rate of interest

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

a loan made to a borrower with a poor credit rating

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of subprime

sub- + prime

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Among the high-profile naysayers is Michael Burry, who foresaw the subprime mortgage crisis and recently compared the frenzy around AI to the dot-com bubble.

From The Wall Street Journal

No more adjustable-rate mortgages and liar loans to subprime borrowers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mortgage lender Ameriquest was as conspicuous a presence in the mid-2000s Super Bowls as it was an absence in the later aughts, having folded in 2007 when the risky subprime loans it specialized in helped kick off the financial crisis.

From Slate

Michael Burry, the entrepreneur who gained fame for spotting the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis, fanned fears on Monday as he flagged a possible "death spiral" for bitcoin.

From Barron's

Piggyback loans can evoke memories of the subprime mortgage crisis for some.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023