subplot

UK: /ˈsʌbplɒt/ US: /ˈsʌbˌplɑt/ ,(sub′plot′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

sub•plot /ˈsʌbˌplɑt/   n. [countable]

1. Literature a secondary plot, as in a novel or play.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

sub•plot  (sub′plot′), n. 

1. Literature a secondary or subordinate plot, as in a play, novel, or other literary work;
   underplot. Cf. counterplot (def. 2).

• sub- + plot 1915–20

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

subplot / ˈsʌbˌplɒt/ noun

1. a subordinate or auxiliary plot in a novel, play, film, etc