subduction
noun
sub·duc·tion
(ˌ)səb-ˈdək-shən 
: the action or process in plate tectonics of the edge of one crustal plate descending below the edge of another
Examples of subduction in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Aleutian subduction zone produces many of the region's strongest quakes, USGS and Alaska monitoring agencies have long documented.
—
Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
As subduction zones burned through the carbon-rich crust at the edges of the Pangaea supercontinent, any rock weathering that might have buried carbon dioxide now sputtered in the vast interior.
—Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Only slowly this shell broke open, with fragments sinking downward into the Earth’s interior, a process called subduction and today a driving mechanism behind plate tectonics.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The Nankai Trough is a 700-kilometer-long (435-mile) subduction zone, where one tectonic plate slips beneath another.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subduction
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
As subduction zones burned through the carbon-rich crust at the edges of the Pangaea supercontinent, any rock weathering that might have buried carbon dioxide now sputtered in the vast interior.
—Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Only slowly this shell broke open, with fragments sinking downward into the Earth’s interior, a process called subduction and today a driving mechanism behind plate tectonics.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The Nankai Trough is a 700-kilometer-long (435-mile) subduction zone, where one tectonic plate slips beneath another.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subduction
Cite this Entry
“Subduction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subduction. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share