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
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.
Should they detract from her advice, when maybe hearing “I have a good kid” could really help someone?
From Slate • May 10, 2026
The day-to-day volatility comes with the territory, analysts at Citi say, but it shouldn’t detract investors from buying Nebius.
From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026
While the show loosely follows a story, I didn’t always find it easy to follow, though that didn’t detract from the experience.
From Salon • Mar. 7, 2026
Diana said Tuesday that the counteroffer didn’t provide any financial details and dismissed it as a tactic to detract from its own takeover bid.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 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
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.
