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

• deduct

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

Linklater took a more aggressive directorial tack than usual, pushing Hawke to subtract any mannerisms that smacked too much of himself. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2025

Business inventories also shrank, subtracting over three percentage points from GDP. —Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025

Politics, however, can’t be subtracted from this equation. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2025

Reflect on each category, then add or subtract a dollar figure based on the level of impact your job has on that category—positive or negative. —Renessa Boley Layne, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for subtract

• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• enact
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact

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