detract
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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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:
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
Sadly we lost 1-0 to an emerging Manchester City side but that result does not detract from the magic of the FA Cup - I can't wait to see what this weekend brings.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
Other abolitionists at Peterboro begged the sisters to lower their profile, fearful that the controversy around women’s rights would detract from the main cause, ending slavery.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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
He said while the ABC has displayed some contrition - including through the public apology - their failure to investigate who leaked Lattouf's sacking to the media detracts from that.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2025
Do you think this enhances or detracts from your work?
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2024
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
As he began talking, he read his audience a quotation from WHO: “MDR is too expensive to treat in poor countries; it detracts attention and resources from treating drug-susceptible disease.”
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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
They are annoyed that, for the second consecutive season, city issues have detracted from the hope and faith and joy that surrounds opening day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
Trade detracted 0.1 percentage point from growth, with imports up 1.5% and exports up 1.0%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 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
Director Martin Scorsese has said he is "concerned" that immersive and 3D screenings risk detracting from the quality of films.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024
The Golden Gate Bridge is a rare blend of form and function, a massive structure that somehow adds to nature’s beauty instead of detracting from it.
From New York Times ● Nov. 5, 2023
He is such a discreet and sagacious individual, that no amount of special information is capable of detracting from or adding to his habitual air of composed importance.
From Mrs. Fitz by Snaith, J. C.
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.
