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
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."
Vocabulary lists containing subtract
Number and Operations: Fractions
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Operations and Algebraic Thinking
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Measurement and Data
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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.
To calculate it the Fed way, take the stock market’s forward earnings yield and subtract the real, or after-inflation, 10-year Treasury yield.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
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
Giving the carry to the trust thus won’t subtract much from the person’s lifetime gift-tax exemption.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025
If a company spends $50 billion this year to build and fill hyperscale AI data centers, it doesn’t subtract that money from earnings right away.
From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025
She learned household accounting—how to add and subtract bills for soap, candles, and flour.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
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.
