subtract

American  

[suhb-trakt] / səbˈtrækt /

verb (used with object)

1. to withdraw or take away, as a part from a whole.

   Antonyms:

   add

2. Mathematics. to take (one number or quantity) from another; deduct.

   Antonyms:

   add

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verb (used without object)

1. to take away something or a part, as from a whole.

   Antonyms:

   add

subtract British  

/ səbˈtrækt /

verb

1. to calculate the difference between (two numbers or quantities) by subtraction

2. to remove (a part of a thing, quantity, etc) from the whole

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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

Explanation

In math, when you subtract, you take one number away from another. If you subtract four from ten, you're left with six. You can also use subtract to mean "take away" in a more general sense, as in "If you subtract some of the salt from the recipe, the pasta will be healthier." When you're doing math, you know you're supposed to subtract if you see a minus sign. Subtracting gives you the difference between numbers, and you can see this in a real way when you subtract actual objects instead of numbers. If you have a dozen cupcakes and subtract ten of them, you have only two cupcakes left. The Latin root of subtract is subtrahere, "take away or draw off."

Example Sentences

The Power Four — the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and ACC — plus the Big East comprise 79 schools and continue to add rather than subtract.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

You could, however, add to or subtract from this list to build your own.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

To calculate it yourself, start with a financial report line item called cash from operations, and then fully subtract capex.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Earnings accounting doesn’t subtract capex when the money is actually spent.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

True reasoning convinced me that I should wholly subtract all remnants of every kind of form if I wished to conceive the absolutely formless.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• deduct
• withhold