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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of subtraction
Addition by subtraction will be their best bet.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
That subtraction used to have income restrictions and maxed out at $5,000 for individuals 65 and older and $10,000 for couples.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 6 Feb. 2026
And then, in a salary dump that could have been viewed as addition by subtraction, the Mets sent infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil to the Athletics for a minor league pitcher.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
However, the small subtraction made the shorter version feel even sleeker.
—Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subtraction
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
That subtraction used to have income restrictions and maxed out at $5,000 for individuals 65 and older and $10,000 for couples.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 6 Feb. 2026
And then, in a salary dump that could have been viewed as addition by subtraction, the Mets sent infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil to the Athletics for a minor league pitcher.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
However, the small subtraction made the shorter version feel even sleeker.
—Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subtraction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subtraction
Noun
-
The deduction excludes tips that are included in a customer’s check, like when a tip is automatically added for large groups or included as a service fee.—
Shannon Pettypiece,
NBC news,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The deduction will increase with inflation each year.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In a reply posted Saturday, Bier said aggregation accounts saw their payouts cut by 40% in the most recent cycle, with an additional 20% reduction planned for the next one.—
Austin Mullen,
NBC news,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The mayor went on at length about the need to find cost efficiencies and reductions.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subtraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subtraction. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
