detract
verb
dē-\
Definition of detract
1 archaic : to speak ill of
2 archaic : to take away
3 : divert didn't mean to detract attention from the guest of honor
: to diminish the importance, value, or effectiveness of something —often used with from small errors that do not seriously detract from the book
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Other Words from detract
\
noun
Synonyms for detract
Synonyms
abstract, call off, distract, divert, throw off
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Examples of detract in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Also detracting from the kvetchy autobiography is Stern's voice as a writer. — Zlati Meyer, USA TODAY, "'Little Panic': How the Etan Patz kidnapping terrorized author Amanda Stern," 10 July 2018 At the time the rule was put into place, the NBA was viewed as an uncivilized place, with skirmishes detracting from what has since moved to a more free-flowing, aesthetically pleasing game. — Ira Winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "ASK IRA: Has NBA common sense arrived too late for Heat?," 3 June 2018 Bauer, 27, was coming off a victorious outing against the Chicago Cubs but a strange message on the pitcher’s mound seemed to detract from his stellar pitching. — Kathleen Joyce, Fox News, "Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer denies writing Bush did 9/11 on mound," 23 May 2018 The major issue to resolve is whether or not his presence will help Oladipo or detract from him. — J. Michael, Indianapolis Star, "Insider: 5 reasonable free-agent targets for Pacers as roster will begin to take shape," 29 June 2018 It was acknowledged as a 'slightly younger' Arsenal side, but that won't detract from the occasion. — SI.com, "Spurs Humiliate Local Rivals Arsenal in 9-0 Annihilation in Under-18 Premier League Clash," 24 Apr. 2018 Some people try to avoid the thought of their death, but the avoidance only detracts from their quality of life. — Loren A. Yadon, idahostatesman, "Leaving the ‘stage of life’ to the applause of heaven," 12 July 2018 Ingredients in fake meat often require traditional industrial inputs such as water, chemicals and fossil fuels, which may detract from the overall environmental benefit. — Jaclyn Gallucci, Fortune, "Fake Meat? Environmental Group Worries It May Be Too Early," 27 June 2018 Ingredients in fake meat often require traditional industrial inputs such as water, chemicals and fossil fuels, which may detract from the overall environmental benefit. — Deena Shanker, Bloomberg.com, "Is It Too Early for Fake Meat?," 27 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'detract.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for detract
detract
verb
\
Kids Definition of detract
: to take away (as from value or importance) Signs detract from the beauty of the scenery.
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