deduct
Americanverb (used with object)
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deducts,
present (3rd person singular)
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deducted,
past participle, past
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deducting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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deducts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deducted,
past participle, past
-
deducting
present participle
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
-
have been deductingperfect progressive
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has been deductingperfect progressive
Past
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deductedsimple
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had deductedperfect
-
was deductingprogressive
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were deductingprogressive
-
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First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin dēductus “brought down, withdrawn,” past participle of dēdūcere; see deduce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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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:
It also lets people who give money to them deduct the donations from their taxes, an incentive that helps schools fundraise.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
But unlike state sales taxes in America, under a VAT businesses can deduct or refund the VAT they’ve paid on their own purchases of raw materials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Generally, a business with low startup costs can deduct $5,000 during the business’s first year.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Reports said the government would deduct a 12% royalty from the sale proceeds and the remaining money would be divided equally among the seven workers.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“We won’t blame you. We’ll just deduct it from our rent checks this month!”
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
That’s after SpaceX deducts underwriting discounts, commissions and other expected payments.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
Instead, it deducts it little by little over the projected useful life of the stuff being bought.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
Social Security then deducts Irmaa from monthly benefit payments for recipients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
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
But now, think of this: the cost of the mandate was one hundred and twenty-five; the pension fund deducts fifty; that makes one hundred and seventy-five.
From The Red Room by August Strindberg
Their rates start at 260 percent annually, quadruple those of banks, with the payments deducted from the workers' earnings.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Households that receive welfare payments can buy essential goods on credit under a new program, with any unpaid debt deducted from future cash welfare payments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
I was shocked to learn that his monthly Social Security benefit will be only $700, and that’s before the Medicare premium is deducted.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
Marshall said she doesn't pay much attention to the payment because it has always been deducted from her salary.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
I got out my check-book and deducted four checks drawn since the first of the month, and discovered I had a balance of $1832.60.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
And that’s even before deducting the extra costs related specifically to real estate like property taxes, condo fees, maintenance, insurance, sales commissions and so on.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
After deducting administrative fees, proceeds from the Disney plates would go toward services provided by hospitals and clinics that are not covered by insurance or a patient.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
Other methods include deducting transportation fees, and excluding certain research and development costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025
Treasuries now yield less than JGBs after deducting the cost of hedging exchange-rate fluctuations.
From Barron's ● Nov. 22, 2025
To form an idea of the enormous amount of tea which is annually cultivated in China, it suffices to remark that, after deducting the immense quantity consumed, there are more than 70,000,000 lbs. exported annually.
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.
