deduct

verb

de·​duct di-ˈdəkt 

dē-

deducted; deducting; deducts

transitive verb

1

: to take away (an amount) from a total : subtract

2

: deduce, infer

Synonyms of deduct

• subtract

Examples of deduct in a Sentence

You can deduct up to $500 for money given to charity.

after deducting taxes, what's left is your net pay for the week

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, the new federal tax code allows businesses to deduct the cost of spending on research and development. —Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 9 Nov. 2025

This tax incentive enables businesses to immediately deduct 100% of the cost of qualifying assets, such as machinery and vehicles, rather than spreading the deduction over several years. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 6 Nov. 2025

Retirees will run into higher costs for Medicare Part B premiums, which are deducted from Social Security checks. —Susan Tompor, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025

Those monthly premium payments are typically deducted directly from Social Security checks, and therefore affect how much of the cost-of-living adjustment beneficiaries may see. —Lorie Konish, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin deductus, past participle of deducere

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for deduct

• abduct
• conduct
• construct
• destruct
• induct
• instruct
• obstruct
• aqueduct
• deconstruct
• reconstruct
• bucked
• chucked

Kids Definition

deduct

verb

de·​duct di-ˈdəkt 

: to take away (an amount) from a total : subtract

deductible

-ˈdək-tə-bəl

adjective

Legal Definition

deduct

transitive verb

de·​duct

: to take away (an amount) from a total

specifically : to take as a deduction

must be capitalized…rather than immediately deducted

—D. Q. Posin

compare amortize