subtract

verb

sub·​tract səb-ˈtrakt 

subtracted; subtracting; subtracts

transitive verb

: to take away by or as if by deducting

subtract 5 from 9

subtract funds from the project

intransitive verb

: to perform a subtraction

subtracter noun

Synonyms

• abate
• deduct
• knock off
• take off

Examples of subtract in a Sentence

if you subtract 10 from 23, you get 13

you can subtract the time you spent daydreaming from your total homework time

Recent Examples on the Web

And that’s after subtracting the cost of the system. —Nara Schoenberg, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2024

The movie’s production had already achieved a mythic status as an example of Murphy’s Law made manifest, from last-minute actor replacements to monsoons to storylines being added, subtracted and rewritten on the fly. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2024

The new true deficit number is closer to $45 billion, as the administration subtracted a $17.3 billion package of budget fixes Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, agreed to in April. —Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 10 May 2024

In terms of SoftBank’s overall net asset value, which subtracts liabilities, the Vision Fund contributed ¥7.3 trillion ($47 billion) at the end of December compared with about ¥9.5 trillion at the end of 2021. —Min Jeong Lee, Fortune Asia, 10 May 2024

After that, the final mechanical royalty pool is determined by subtracting out the performance monies from the all-in pool. —Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 9 May 2024

The city used a formula which subtracted some revenue sources including interest on special and general obligation debts. —Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 3 May 2024

The costs of improvements to the home can be subtracted from gross capital gains, but if what remains is still over that $500,000 limit, it is taxed up to 20 percent, depending on the owner’s income. —Michael Kolomatsky, New York Times, 2 May 2024

Restaurants add and subtract from their menus all the time, but a total overhaul is a huge change for Leku. —Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin subtractus, past participle of subtrahere to draw from beneath, withdraw, from sub- + trahere to draw

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

subtract

verb

sub·​tract səb-ˈtrakt 

1

: to take away (as one part or number) from another : deduct

subtract 5 from 9

2

: to perform a subtraction