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
The areas hardest hit by Sandy had suffered during the subprime crisis – when some homeowners were charged exorbitant mortgage interest rates – and subsequent recession, and home prices had not yet started to rise again.
—
Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 20 May 2025
Big institutional investors began amassing massive rental home portfolios in the wake of the 2007-09 subprime mortgage crisis, according to the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan federal research agency.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2025
Perhaps, commercial real estate, subprime mortgages, DeFi?
—Nina Bambysheva, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
The research found that while 50.8% of subprime borrowers are seriously delinquent, just 0.9% of those with super prime credit scores are behind.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for subprime
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Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 20 May 2025
Big institutional investors began amassing massive rental home portfolios in the wake of the 2007-09 subprime mortgage crisis, according to the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan federal research agency.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2025
Perhaps, commercial real estate, subprime mortgages, DeFi?
—Nina Bambysheva, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
The research found that while 50.8% of subprime borrowers are seriously delinquent, just 0.9% of those with super prime credit scores are behind.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for subprime
Cite this Entry
“Subprime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subprime. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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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
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