subtract

verb

sub·​tract səb-ˈtrakt How to pronounce subtract (audio)
subtracted; subtracting; subtracts

transitive verb

: to take away by or as if by deducting
subtract 5 from 9
subtract funds from the project
subtracter noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The deduction allows small businesses, including partnerships, sole proprietorships (who are often gig workers) and S corporations, to subtract 20% of their qualified business income from their taxes, lowering their tax liability. Alain Sherter, CBS News, 14 May 2025 Their seven-year streak of making it as least as far as the ALCS was snapped last offseason, and since then, mainstays Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker have been subtracted from the roster. Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025 Although consumer and business spending were solid, the flood of imports ahead of tariffs translated into a contraction because foreign shipments to the U.S. are subtracted from economic output totals. Paul Davidson, USA Today, 2 May 2025 When imports exceed exports, that subtracts from GDP and that was by far the biggest drag on growth in the first quarter. Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for subtract

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of subtract was in 1557

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Subtract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subtract. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

subtract

verb
sub·​tract səb-ˈtrakt How to pronounce subtract (audio)
1
: to take away (as one part or number) from another : deduct
subtract 5 from 9
2
: to perform a subtraction

More from Merriam-Webster on subtract

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