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

In that post, Ohanian subtracted the government jobs figure reported in the establishment survey from the nonfarm employment figure in the household survey. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024

To determine your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. —Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 29 Nov. 2024

Then, when adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, the numbers are typically kept in the floating-point format. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024

Here’s how to calculate gross margin: Start with a company’s revenue then subtract the costs of that revenue. —Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 20 Nov. 2024

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