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.
To estimate your optimal heart rate zone for exercise, start by subtracting your age from 220 to get your maximum heart rate. Cyra-Lea Drummond, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2025 Add pasta to the pot and cook until just shy of al dente (check package directions and subtract a minute or so). The New York Times News Service Syndicate, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025 Apple isn’t the first to subtract the plus sign from its streaming platform. Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2025 But in an Akan language, the notion that an object could exist as a bare substrate, stripped of properties—say, the idea of a stone, with its weight, texture, and color subtracted—is basically unintelligible; the metaphysical split between a thing and its properties isn’t naturally expressible. Lula Konner, The New York Review of Books, 4 Oct. 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 28 Oct. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!