SUBTRACT Definition & Meaning

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subtract

[suhb-trakt]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

to withdraw or take away, as a part from a whole.
Antonyms:
Mathematics.��to take (one number or quantity) from another; deduct.
Antonyms:

verb (used without object)

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

subtract

/ ��ə��ˈ�ٰ�æ�� /

verb

to calculate the difference between (two numbers or quantities) by subtraction
to remove (a part of a thing, quantity, etc) from the whole

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Other 51�Թ� Forms

subtracter noun
unsubtracted adjective
��ܲ�ˈ�ٰ��ٱ�� noun

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51�Թ� 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

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of subtract¹

C16: from Latin subtractus withdrawn, from subtrahere to draw away from beneath, from _sub- + trahere to draw

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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.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

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

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For simplicity sake, we’re going to use Louisville time, so those in Los Angeles can subtract three hours.

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Your capital gain will be calculated by subtracting your tax basis in the home from the sales proceeds, minus selling costs.

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“The Accountant 2” subtracts everything that worked about the 2016 original, a marvelous romp that starred Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff, a neurodivergent numbers geek who freelances as an auditor and assassin.

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If both parents work, and if they subtract costs for housing, food, child care, health care and transportation, the amount left over each month would be $530.

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Related 51�Թ�s

deduct��
withhold��

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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.

subtotal subtraction

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