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

• abate
• deduct
• knock off
• take off

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

During the processing, the AI combined something that shouldn’t have been combined, or added or subtracted something that shouldn’t have been included. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025

Average empty seats on each flight route was calculated by subtracting the difference in average seats per flight and average passengers per flight, the firm said. —Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2025

The next biggest revision came in 2019 when the BLS subtracted 501,000 jobs from its preliminary estimates. —William Gavin, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2025

The receiving Delilah subtracted the key from the incoming transmission, and then converted the resulting numbers to voltages to reproduce the original speech. —IEEE Spectrum, 4 Feb. 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