subtract

subtract — verb

1. to reduce a number or amount by removing another number from it, so that you fin

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA2
Definition

to reduce a number or amount by removing another number from it, so that you find out what is left

Example

Arjun subtracted 14 from 38 and found the answer was 24.

subtract + number + from + number

If you subtract the ticket cost, we will have about fifty-five dollars left.

subtract + noun phrase (cost / expense)

Common collocations
  • subtract from
  • subtract the cost
  • subtract the discount
  • subtract an amount
  • subtract a number
Synonyms
  • deduct

    more formal; used mainly for money, costs, or amounts in business contexts

  • take away

    less formal; common in everyday speech and early math teaching

  • minus

    used as a verb informally, e.g. 'Minus the tax, you get 800 dollars.'

Antonyms
  • add

    the opposite operation — to put numbers together rather than remove one from another

Grammar Patterns

subtract + number + from + number

subtract (no object)

Usage Note

The order of numbers matters: subtract X from Y means Y − X. The number after 'from' is the starting amount.

Common Mistakes

I subtracted 10 from 5 and got 5.
I subtracted 5 from 10 and got 5.
subtract X from Y always means Y − X, so the starting number goes after 'from'.
Please subtract the numbers together.
Please add the numbers together.
The word 'together' is used with addition, not subtraction.

Word family

  • subtraction
    nounA2
  • subtractive
    adjectiveC1
  • subtrahend
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Subtract is the standard mathematical verb used in school, work, and everyday life. Deduct is more formal and appears mainly in financial or business settings — you deduct an expense from your tax or a fee from a bill. Take away is the plain, conversational version that parents and teachers use with young children learning arithmetic. Minus is sometimes used informally as a verb ('Minus the deposit, you owe 200 dollars'), though it is grammatically a preposition; learners should stick with subtract or take away in writing.

subtract ↗deducttake away ↗minus ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • subtract from the total
  • subtract from the sum
  • subtract from the original amount

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Subtract comes from the Latin verb subtrahere, meaning 'to draw away from under'. It is made of sub- ('away, from under') and trahere ('to pull, draw'). The word entered English in the 1500s as a mathematics term and later gained a general sense of 'removing something from a larger whole'.