subtraction
noun
sub·trac·tion
səb-ˈtrak-shən 
: an act, operation, or instance of subtracting: such as
a
: the withdrawing or withholding of a right to which an individual is entitled
b
: the operation of deducting one number from another
Examples of subtraction in a Sentence
The children are learning addition and subtraction.
the restaurant may not have raised the price, but there's definitely been a subtraction in the number of fries in a side order
Recent Examples on the Web
The spring transfer portal opened Wednesday and there will certainly be additions and subtractions to this Miami roster when everything is said and done.
—
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
This can be achieved via addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.
—Trevor Laurence Jockims, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2025
The team also lost D.J. Reed, an important starting cornerback, amounting to even more negative subtractions to their overall numbers.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
Multiply the rain’s lances, multiply their ruin, the grace born from subtraction as the hold’s iron door
rolled over their eyes like pots left out in the rain,
and the bolt rammed home its echo, the way that thunder-
claps perpetuate their reverberation.
—Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subtraction
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Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
This can be achieved via addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.
—Trevor Laurence Jockims, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2025
The team also lost D.J. Reed, an important starting cornerback, amounting to even more negative subtractions to their overall numbers.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
Multiply the rain’s lances, multiply their ruin, the grace born from subtraction as the hold’s iron door
rolled over their eyes like pots left out in the rain,
and the bolt rammed home its echo, the way that thunder-
claps perpetuate their reverberation.
—Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subtraction
Cite this Entry
“Subtraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subtraction. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
subtraction
noun
sub·trac·tion
səb-ˈtrak-shən
1
: an act or instance of subtracting
2
: the operation of deducting one number from another
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