deduct
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Synonym Usage
See subtract.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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deductsimple
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deductssimple
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have deductedperfect
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has deductedperfect
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am deductingprogressive
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are deductingprogressive
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is deductingprogressive
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have been deductingperfect progressive
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has been deductingperfect progressive
Past
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deductedsimple
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had deductedperfect
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was deductingprogressive
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were deductingprogressive
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had been deductingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deduct
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin dēductus “brought down, withdrawn,” past participle of dēdūcere; see deduce
Explanation
To deduct is to remove or take away some amount. If your boss deducts money from your paycheck because you're always late to work, she subtracts it. When taxes are withheld from your salary, your employer deducts them to pay your contribution. Each time you use a debit card, it deducts the amount you spend from your bank account. A different way to deduct is to come to a reasoned, thoughtful conclusion, or to deduce. The two words were once interchangeable, while now it's more common to use deduct to mean "remove a portion," and deduce to mean "infer logically."
Vocabulary lists containing deduct
Lead the Way: Duc and Duct
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de-
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: duc, duct
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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:
They pay $235 each in monthly Medicare premiums and deduct some of the $200 they spend on internet service and Margo’s phone as business expenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
This matters because the King only voluntarily pays tax on income spent personally, meaning the King can effectively deduct royal business from his tax bill.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
Under the provision, eligible workers can deduct up to $25,000 a year in qualified tips.
From MarketWatch ● May 14, 2026
This means, for example, they can deduct the cost of investment in developing projects against tax and carry forward those credits against future profits.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
He tells me what I can deduct on my income tax return.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
That’s after SpaceX deducts underwriting discounts, commissions and other expected payments.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
It calls it a capital investment, and deducts it from earnings little by little.
From Barron's ● Dec. 26, 2025
The company says it doesn’t charge interest on the cash it extends to people between paychecks but deducts what it calls “voluntary tips” upon repayment, the records show.
From Salon ● Nov. 10, 2025
BetMGM said its so-called contribution from operations—a metric that deducts cost of revenue and marketing-acquisition spending from net revenue—is still expected to exceed $500 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025
"Then the property covered by the mortgage is sold, and the bank deducts its loan—any balance, of course, is paid over to Richard."
From The Fortunes of Oliver Horn by Smith, Francis Hopkinson
Now that she is at the MTA, she says she notices less money being deducted from her paychecks for insurance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Points deducted for some stiff dramatic reenactments; I would prefer a picture of an empty desk than one of a miscast George Washington sitting at it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
This means money you contribute during a year is deducted from your taxable income.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
Saints were expelled from the Championship play-offs after admitting observing opponents' training sessions and have been deducted four points in the Championship next season.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
“It's all there. I only deducted the glass beetle your brother broke last time. Sign the receipt here. You can write, I hope?”
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
The research firm’s estimates account for revenue after deducting traffic and other content acquisition costs, such as the money Google shares with its creators.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
On a good day, he takes home between 900 and 1,000 rupees, after deducting money spent on fuel and food.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
A “hotchpot clause” in your will ensures fairness by effectively deducting the advance gifts from their inheritance share, retroactively calculating what each heir has already received.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 31, 2025
Treasuries now yield less than JGBs after deducting the cost of hedging exchange-rate fluctuations.
From Barron's ● Nov. 22, 2025
By ½ a year's interest on the Bond and annuities, deducting what received from the government, due at Lady Day 25,358 June 29.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
