subtract

[suhb-trakt]

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

verb (used without object)

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

   Antonyms: add

subtract

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• subtracter noun
• unsubtracted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of subtract¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of subtract¹

C16: from Latin subtractus withdrawn, from subtrahere to draw away from beneath, from _sub- + trahere to draw

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Here’s one way to think about Chuck’s Arcade: Imagine a Chuck E. Cheese, but subtract the pizza and detract the drinks.

From Los Angeles Times

It also added a neon sign and then subtracted it, eventually forsaking much of its original design as owners and managers came and went.

From Los Angeles Times

Red states like Texas and Florida stand to make big gains after the next congressional reapportionment — and most of those new seats will be subtracted from blue states like California and New York.

From Salon

Imports subtract from official growth calculations but are not necessarily an indication of the health of the wider economy.

From BBC

Things have changed in the half-century since “Forever…” was published, even subtracting the years the series backtracks.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• deduct 
• withhold 

When To Use

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.