as in deduction
the act or an instance of taking away from a total
the restaurant may not have raised the price, but there's definitely been a subtraction in the number of fries in a side order
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Recent Examples of subtraction
However, the small subtraction made the shorter version feel even sleeker.
—
Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 12 Jan. 2026
Recipients in some states qualify for a Social Security income subtraction when filing their state tax return.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
But if Brown is that unhappy with his status on the team, perhaps moving him would be addition by subtraction, as Florio suggested.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Vesia’s subtraction from the bullpen adds further uncertainty to the Dodgers’ most vulnerable area.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subtraction
Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 12 Jan. 2026
Recipients in some states qualify for a Social Security income subtraction when filing their state tax return.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
But if Brown is that unhappy with his status on the team, perhaps moving him would be addition by subtraction, as Florio suggested.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Vesia’s subtraction from the bullpen adds further uncertainty to the Dodgers’ most vulnerable area.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subtraction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subtraction
Noun
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Single filers and heads of household over 65 get an additional $2,000 deduction, plus an additional $1,600 for married filing jointly with both filers over age 65.—
Terry Savage,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
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While the deduction was limited to $10,000 under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act has now raised the cap through 2029.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These efficiency gains mean that hybrids using the Amorphous Motor in their powertrains will see a 1% reduction in fuel and power consumption compared to those using existing motor designs, helping automotive OEMs deliver a new generation of low-emission vehicle models, as per the release.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
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The changes were slight — reductions of just one-tenth of a second and one-half of a mile to a solar lap spanning two years and hundreds of millions of miles, according to the scientists.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subtraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subtraction. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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