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 (−).

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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 (–)

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subtraction Scientific  

/ səb-trăk′shən /

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

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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

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 there is a further subtraction for Irmaa, if your income exceeds certain thresholds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

“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

As I spent an embarrassing length of time trying to force my brain to perform subtraction, all I could think was that I wanted to flee the increasingly stuffy room.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2025

Toby had put parentheses after exponents when explaining PEMDAS, even though the order was literally parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

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

So given those additions and subtractions, what will Becki Ball look like?

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2024

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

From Science Daily ● Mar. 7, 2024

And there are additions as well as subtractions.

From Beowulf An Introduction to the Study of the Poem with a Discussion of the Stories of Offa and Finn by Chambers, R. W.