detract
Americanverb (used without object)
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detracts,
present (3rd person singular)
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detracted,
past participle, past
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detracting
present participle
verb (used with object)
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detracts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
detracted,
past participle, past
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detracting
present participle
-
to draw away or divert; distract.
to detract another's attention from more important issues.
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Archaic. to take away (a part); abate.
The dilapidated barn detracts charm from the landscape.
verb
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to take away a part (of); diminish
her anger detracts from her beauty
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(tr) to distract or divert
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obsolete (tr) to belittle or disparage
Usage
Detract is sometimes wrongly used where distract is meant: a noise distracted (not detracted ) my attention
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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detractornoun
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detractiveadjective
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undetractingadjective
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detractinglyadverb
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detractivelyadverb
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undetractinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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detractsimple
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detractssimple
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have detractedperfect
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has detractedperfect
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am detractingprogressive
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are detractingprogressive
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is detractingprogressive
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have been detractingperfect progressive
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has been detractingperfect progressive
Past
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detractedsimple
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had detractedperfect
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was detractingprogressive
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were detractingprogressive
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had been detractingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of detract
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French detracter or directly from Latin dētractus “drawn away” (past participle of dētrahere ), equivalent to dē- de- + tractus “drawn”; see tract 1
Explanation
If you detract from something — like an achievement or an opinion or an object — you take away some of its value or diminish it. That dent in the door of your car may detract from its overall value. The verb detract comes from the Latin word detrahere, meaning “draw away from,” or “take down.” If you detract from someone’s credibility, you reduce — or take down — that person's worth. When you make valid points opposing an argument a politician is making, you detract from her platform. Detract can also describe drawing attention away from something. If the politician then makes a public display of her humanity, she's trying to detract attention away from your arguments.
Vocabulary lists containing detract
Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)
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Grade 9, List 6
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"The Gettysburg Address," Vocabulary from the speech
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
However, that does not detract from the award-winning performances these stars produced - each enjoyed prize-worthy campaigns that caught voters' eyes across Europe and the world.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
It would detract from a key virtue of Eurobonds in a country’s financing mix: simplicity, for issuers and for investors.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Riley is mindful that his film’s more outré moments don’t detract from the underlying emotions he is trying to convey.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Should they detract from her advice, when maybe hearing “I have a good kid” could really help someone?
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
“Nice of you to turn up, Potter, although you have evidently decided that the wearing of school robes would detract from your appearance.”
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
And when you’re with other people, pocket the phone: Even its mere presence diverts attention and detracts from enjoyment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025
"Nothing we say today on behalf of Beinash Batool detracts from the horror of Sara's treatment," she told the court.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2025
But he warned that even if India makes up for lost ground, “this kind of volatility is not good for the market on the whole. It detracts from the ambitious targets the government has set.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
That displacement makes it more challenging for service providers to locate the unsheltered person, address their needs and continue to build trust, which detracts from the goal of providing housing.
From Salon ● Jan. 27, 2024
As Turner states, the idea that the “performing arts” must always be performed onstage to be valid detracts from their use to develop and explore the emotional, cognitive, social development and human potential.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The city’s price correction, along with a broader run-up in inventory in Texas, has detracted from Austin’s near-term appeal to builders, many of whom offer buyers incentives at the expense of their margins.
From Barron's ● May 31, 2026
The attention on Andrew has detracted from Charles’s proudest achievements and initiatives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
Sony also maintained that budget cuts within CBS had detracted from the network’s efforts to support the two shows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025
In the case of “Dancing Through Life,” the heinous backlighting detracted from the majesty of the film’s practical set pieces in the same scene.
From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2025
The electric lights detracted, but when the sun rose the display would show at its best advantage.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Mr. Gallo’s design for this is evocative, but a backdrop depicting a cityscape looms behind it, detracting from the play’s intimacy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
But regardless of how that comeback ends, Vonn isn’t worried about it detracting from what she’s already accomplished.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2025
He wove intricate technical details into his stories, without detracting from the lightning pace of his plots.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2025
Changing even one lyric makes the re-recording different from the original, potentially detracting from her attempt to devalue the old, Braun-owned track.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2023
Whilst, however, we consider it our duty to say thus much, let it not be supposed that we are detracting from the merits of the extracts contained in that article of the Quarterly.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846 by Various
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