as in deducting
to take away (an amount or number) from a total
if you subtract 10 from 23, you get 13 you can subtract the time you spent daydreaming from your total homework time
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Recent Examples of subtracting
The leap from knots to links is a relatively small one, but mathematicians can extend the ideas of knot theory to study mind-bending concepts such as higher-dimensional knots, surfaces with knotted edges and difficult-to-imagine objects obtained by subtracting a knot from three-dimensional space.
—
Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2025
Business inventories also shrank, subtracting over three percentage points from GDP.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The Boys & Girls Club donation counter Bargatze spoke ahead of the show about his effort to keep speeches on time by subtracting from a $100,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Club every time someone went over.
—Sandra Gonzalez, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
If the owner never comes forward, companies are required to turn over the proceeds to the state after subtracting their fees.
—Dave Altimari, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2025
Shares are priced at less than the figure arrived at when subtracting the company’s total liabilities from its total assets.
—John Navin, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Find your max heart rate by subtracting your age from 220.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 25 Aug. 2025
Two Track estimates the pop-top kit adds roughly 100 lb (45 kg) of weight to the Wrangler Unlimited's total after subtracting the weight of the original roof components that are replaced in the process.
—New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2025
Such data revisions, either adding or subtracting jobs, are not uncommon.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2025
Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2025
Business inventories also shrank, subtracting over three percentage points from GDP.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
The Boys & Girls Club donation counter Bargatze spoke ahead of the show about his effort to keep speeches on time by subtracting from a $100,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Club every time someone went over.
—Sandra Gonzalez, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
If the owner never comes forward, companies are required to turn over the proceeds to the state after subtracting their fees.
—Dave Altimari, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2025
Shares are priced at less than the figure arrived at when subtracting the company’s total liabilities from its total assets.
—John Navin, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Find your max heart rate by subtracting your age from 220.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 25 Aug. 2025
Two Track estimates the pop-top kit adds roughly 100 lb (45 kg) of weight to the Wrangler Unlimited's total after subtracting the weight of the original roof components that are replaced in the process.
—New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2025
Such data revisions, either adding or subtracting jobs, are not uncommon.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subtracting
deducting
Verb
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You are entitled to a refund of the security deposit or any balance left after deducting legitimate charges, according to Legal Aid of North Carolina.—
Kendrick Marshall,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Oct. 2025
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The review added that the ongoing bit about the deducting from a charitable donation for longer speech set a negative tone.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Subtracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subtracting. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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