subtract

[ suhb-trakt ]

verb (used with object)

1. to withdraw or take away, as a part from a whole.

   Antonyms: add

2. Mathematics. to take (one number or quantity) from another; deduct.

   Antonyms: add

verb (used without object)

1. to take away something or a part, as from a whole.

   Antonyms: add

subtract

/ səbˈtrækt /

verb

1. to calculate the difference between (two numbers or quantities) by subtraction
2. to remove (a part of a thing, quantity, etc) from the whole

Derived Forms

• subˈtracter, noun

Other Words From

• sub·tracter noun
• unsub·tracted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of subtract¹

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin subtractus (past participle of subtrahere “to draw away from underneath”), equivalent to sub- sub- + trac- (past participle stem of trahere “to draw”) + -tus past participle suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of subtract¹

C16: from Latin subtractus withdrawn, from subtrahere to draw away from beneath, from sub- + trahere to draw

Synonym Study

Subtract, deduct express diminution in sum or quantity. To subtract suggests taking a part from a whole or a smaller from a larger: to subtract the tax from one's salary. To deduct is to take away an amount or quantity from an aggregate or total so as to lessen or lower it: to deduct a discount. Subtract is both transitive and intransitive, and has general or figurative uses; deduct is always transitive and usually concrete and practical in application.

Example Sentences

Think of it as Game of Thrones—if you subtract the sex and violence and add drunken revelry and singing.

From The Daily Beast

She knows exactly how to add or subtract hair for any style she wants, whenever she wants it.

From The Daily Beast

“When a party is in the minority, it has to add, not subtract,” huffed Jennifer Rubin.

From The Daily Beast

Subtract the wives, daughters, and widows and you are left with a fraction of that already small number.

From The Daily Beast

“The unofficial formula we use is to go back to the year they were abused and subtract two years,” she explained.

From The Daily Beast

Subtract 21⁄3rd times the difference of the temperature of the mercury.

From Project Gutenberg

If a change does not add to the sum total of their happiness, I trust that it will not subtract much from it.

From Project Gutenberg

This time we do not subtract A³ and CqA, because this subtraction is already affected by the preceding work.

From Project Gutenberg

Take as many nines as there are figures in the smallest number, and subtract that sum from the number of nines.

From Project Gutenberg

It was also permissible for the poet (besides adding to the line at the end) to subtract from it at the beginning, viz.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• deduct
• withhold