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
In many cases, the first transformation will not be subtraction.
—
Rahul Saluja, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
The Work of Unbecoming What followed was not a reinvention, but a process of subtraction.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Even if the subtraction is being felt hard in some corners of the clubhouse.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 10 May 2026
The Tribune is tracking the major roster additions, subtractions and announcements of local teams.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subtraction
Rahul Saluja, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
The Work of Unbecoming What followed was not a reinvention, but a process of subtraction.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Even if the subtraction is being felt hard in some corners of the clubhouse.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 10 May 2026
The Tribune is tracking the major roster additions, subtractions and announcements of local teams.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for subtraction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subtraction
Noun
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Getting statutory deductions right from day one, managing employment contracts and keeping up to code with labor law changes across jurisdictions will require meaningfully different frameworks.—
Alex Daruty,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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Defense attorney Eric Cohen challenged the strength of the prosecution’s deduction during cross-examination of FBI Special Agent Andrew Delvalle.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Months later, after Measure PP’s failure, the council approved over $12 million in budget reductions, which included cuts to the library, parks maintenance staff, and crossing guards.—
Kyle Martin,
Mercury News,
7 June 2026
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This reduction in size and mass makes the architecture especially attractive for electric vehicle applications, where drivetrain compactness is a critical design constraint.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subtraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subtraction. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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