subtraction

American  

[suhb-trak-shuhn] / səbˈtræk ʃən /

noun

• subtractions
  plural

1. an act or instance of subtracting.

2. Mathematics. the operation or process of finding the difference between two numbers or quantities, denoted by a minus sign (−).

---

subtraction British  

/ səbˈtrækʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of subtracting

2. a mathematical operation in which the difference between two numbers or quantities is calculated. Usually indicated by the symbol (–)

---

subtraction Scientific  

/ səb-trăk′shən /

1. The operation of finding the difference between two numbers or quantities.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsubtraction
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• subtractions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of subtraction

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin subtractiōn- (stem of subtractiō ) a withdrawing, equivalent to subtract ( us ) ( see subtract) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

In math, subtraction is when you take one number away from another number. In other words, the subtraction of two from five gives you an answer of three. In school, subtraction is typically the second operation you learn in arithmetic, after addition. When a problem has you take four apples away from eight apples, that's subtraction. If you see the word minus, or the symbol -, that's also subtraction. The word itself comes from the Late Latin subtractionem, "a drawing back or taking away," from subtrahere, "take away," which combines sub, "from under," and trahere, "to pull."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

subtraction subtractions

It is receiving something greater in return, resulting in spiritual addition by subtraction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

The new revision was "primarily reflecting a downward revision to imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, that was partly offset by a downward revision to consumer spending," the department said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

But here’s the catch: Adaptations are primarily about subtraction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2025

“Marketplace is undergoing a rationalization, addition by subtraction, as we reduce our exposure while the risk pool stabilizes,” Zubretsky said, according to a FactSet transcript.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2025

When you have an infinity in an expression, or when you divide by zero, all the mathematical operations—even those as simple as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—go out the window.

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

For the Ducks to match that, their summer additions will have to add up to more than the subtractions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

But you know, additions are just as important as subtractions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

Norm Eisen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a legal analyst at CNN, said “the subtractions stand out more than the additions” in Smith’s latest filing.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2024

Solving arithmetic problems, even simple subtractions, involves mental representations whose influence remains to be clarified.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 7, 2024

Modifications, subtractions, additions, the reader must make for himself.

From An Outline of the History of Christian Thought Since Kant by Edward Caldwell Moore