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

Add in pregnancy, subtract the care that is currently protected by EMTALA and what does that equal? —Pauline Wiltz, Scientific American, 27 June 2024

The recipe is a riff of it with a few ingredients added or subtracted. —Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 12 June 2024

Our convention adjustment works by subtracting a small amount from each candidate's polling average once their party's convention begins. —G. Elliott Morris, ABC News, 11 June 2024

What that means, ag experts say, is that water managers can’t subtract the precise amount of water needed for a crop and call the rest excess and available for conservation. —Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 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