verb
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to calculate the difference between (two numbers or quantities) by subtraction
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to remove (a part of a thing, quantity, etc) from the whole
Usage
What does subtract mean? Subtract means to take something away, usually as in taking a piece out of a whole.In math, subtract means to perform subtraction, the operation in which you find difference between two numbers or quantities.You can subtract one thing from another, as in We need to subtract the cost of labor from our total profits.You can also subtract something without mentioning what you’re subtracting it from, as in If you subtract the busy traffic, my day wasn’t that bad. In other words, when you consider everything in my day, except for the traffic it wasn’t a bad day.For the most part, subtract usually refers to taking a small piece away from a bigger whole. However, subtracting can potentially result in negative amounts or debts when you’re subtracting numbers.When you first learned subtraction, your teacher might have said that when we subtract, we are “taking away” one number from another. For example, if you subtract 3 from 5, you take away 3 from 5, which leaves you with 2.Example: I need to remember to subtract my electric bill from my monthly budget.
Related Words
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.
Other Word Forms
- subtracter noun
- unsubtracted adjective
Etymology
Origin of subtract
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
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.
In the second round, you can add or subtract a multiple, too, like “What is ten times ten, minus two times ten?”
From Literature
He really wanted to ask her what had happened, but even with all the adding and subtracting he knew that they weren’t friends.
From Literature
This year, they have added two more -- and subtracted one -- for a whopping total of 95.
From Barron's
I had suggested charging him 2% per annum interest on any sums advanced, with that amount subtracted from his share of the inheritance and distributed 50/50 between my sister and me.
From MarketWatch
Medicare premiums are determined by overall medical costs and are subtracted from your Social Security payments.
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.
