subscribe to

subscribe to — phrasal verb

  • subscribe tobase form
  • subscribes to3rd person singular
  • subscribing to-ing form
  • subscribed topast simple

1. To pay money at regular intervals so that a newspaper, magazine, or digital serv

1.phrasal verbtransitiveB1
Definition

To pay money at regular intervals so that a newspaper, magazine, or digital service is sent to you or made available to you.

Example

Liam subscribes to a sports magazine and reads each issue on the train to work.

collocation: subscribe to + magazine / journal / newspaper

The local library subscribes to over forty academic journals for its members to use.

animate subject: institution subscribing to publications

Common collocations
  • subscribe to a magazine
  • subscribe to a newspaper
  • subscribe to a podcast
  • subscribe to a streaming service
  • subscribe to a journal
Synonyms
  • sign up for

    less formal; can be a one-time registration rather than ongoing payment

  • pay for

    broader — not specific to periodicals

Grammar Patterns

subscribe to + [publication / service]

Usage Note

This sense takes a concrete noun as object — the name of a publication, broadcast, or digital platform. For membership or charitable giving, see MEMBERSHIP FEE below.

Common Mistakes

I subscribed a magazine.
I subscribed to a magazine.
'subscribe' always needs the preposition 'to' before the object.

2. To pay money regularly in order to be a member of an organisation, or to provide

2.phrasal verbtransitiveB1
Definition

To pay money regularly in order to be a member of an organisation, or to provide ongoing financial support for its work.

Example

Andrei subscribes to a food cooperative and receives fresh vegetables each Saturday.

subscribe to + cooperative / club / society

My aunt subscribes to an animal rescue charity that cares for abandoned dogs and cats.

subscribe to + charity / cause / foundation

Common collocations
  • subscribe to a charity
  • subscribe to a club
  • subscribe to a society
  • subscribe to a cooperative
  • subscribe to a museum
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

subscribe to + [organisation / charity / venue]

Usage Note

The object is typically the name of an organisation (club, charity, society). The focus is on membership or patronage, not on receiving a publication — distinguish from PAY FOR PUBLICATION above.

3. To agree with a particular opinion, policy, plan, theory, or approach, and consi

3.phrasal verbtransitiveB2
Definition

To agree with a particular opinion, policy, plan, theory, or approach, and consider it a reasonable position to take.

Example

Kwame subscribes to the plan for turning the old factory site into a community sports centre.

collocation: subscribe to + plan for + gerund

Most residents subscribe to the policy of keeping public parks free for everyone to use.

collocation: subscribe to + policy of + noun

Common collocations
  • subscribe to a plan
  • subscribe to a policy
  • subscribe to an approach
  • subscribe to a theory
  • subscribe to a practice
Synonyms
  • agree with

    more general and less formal

  • endorse

    more formal, often implies public support

  • support

    broader — can mean financial or practical backing

Antonyms
  • oppose

    the opposite of giving support or approval

Grammar Patterns

subscribe to + [opinion / policy / plan / theory / approach]

Usage Note

This sense uses prepositional phrases (plan for..., policy of..., approach where...) to describe the thing being agreed with — not a that-clause. For the fixed pattern with a that-clause (subscribe to the view that..., subscribe to the belief that...), see HOLD A BELIEF below.

Common Mistakes

I subscribe that public transport should be free.
I subscribe to the policy of free public transport.
'subscribe' needs a noun object and the preposition 'to', not a direct that-clause.

4. To hold a particular personal belief or worldview, expressed in the fixed patter

4.phrasal verbtransitiveC1
Definition

To hold a particular personal belief or worldview, expressed in the fixed pattern 'subscribe to the view/belief/idea/notion/opinion that...' followed by a clause explaining what that belief is.

Example

Dr. Amihan subscribes to the view that medical ethics must always put patients first.

fixed pattern: subscribe to the view that + clause

Ravindra subscribes to the belief that education is the best tool for reducing inequality.

fixed pattern: subscribe to the belief that + clause

Common collocations
  • subscribe to the view that
  • subscribe to the belief that
  • subscribe to the idea that
  • subscribe to the notion that
  • subscribe to the opinion that
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

subscribe to + the + [view / belief / idea / notion / opinion] + that-clause

Usage Note

The object must be one of a narrow set of abstract belief nouns: view, belief, idea, notion, opinion. A that-clause almost always follows to state the content of the belief. This sense is more formal and belief-oriented than the AGREE WITH sense above, which uses prepositional phrases instead of that-clauses.

Common Mistakes

I subscribe to the book that education matters.
I subscribe to the view that education matters.
the object must be a belief noun (view, belief, idea), not a concrete noun like 'book'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: phrasal verb/1

While 'subscribe to' (PAY FOR PUBLICATION sense) implies an ongoing payment arrangement for a periodical or service, 'sign up for' is broader — you can sign up for a one-time class or a free trial. 'Pay for' is the most general and covers any purchase. 'Order' is used for a one-time request (you order a single issue of a magazine but subscribe for a year). 'Pre-order' applies specifically to reserving something before its official release. Example: 'Liam subscribes to the magazine, but he also ordered a single back issue to complete his collection.'

sign up forpay fororder ↗pre-order ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • subscribe to a policy
  • subscribe to an approach
  • subscribe to the view that...
  • subscribe to a service

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin 'subscribere' — 'sub-' (under) + 'scribere' (to write). The original meaning was to sign one's name at the bottom of a document, indicating agreement. By the 1500s it had extended to formally endorsing a statement or belief. The modern sense of paying for a publication arose in the 1600s with the rise of periodicals, where readers would 'subscribe' by signing up in advance to fund the printing.