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

After subtracting average Social Security income from the annual expenditures, GOBankingRates divided the remaining amount by 4%, following a common rule of thumb for safely drawing down retirement savings. —Mike Winters, CNBC, 19 Jan. 2025

Using the most recent data available, both factors were calculated by subtracting the values assigned to Black and white people for a certain metric. —Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Jan. 2025

Approving spending legislation usually requires not only lengthy negotiations but a lot of time on the House and Senate floor to debate and add and subtract. —David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 15 Jan. 2025

The Bears are unlikely to do a lot more subtracting from this list because the group is thin. —Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 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

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