as in deducting
to take away (an amount or number) from a total
if you subtract 10 from 23, you get 13 you can subtract the time you spent daydreaming from your total homework time
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Recent Examples of subtracting
That metric compares grads' total earnings over a period of time with those of workers without bachelor's degrees, while also subtracting educational expenses such as tuition, room and board and income lost while attending college.
—
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 15 May 2026
Decarbonization is a six-syllable mouthful about subtracting something invisible from our lives.
—John Reid, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
The Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised data, adding an additional 34,000 jobs to January, showing a growth of 160,000, but subtracting 41,000 from February, showing a loss of 133,000.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2026
Home equity is calculated by subtracting your mortgage balance from your home’s current market value.
—Liz Knueven, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
The Phillies will add three to their 40-man roster — Crawford, Moore and Mayza — while subtracting McCambley and Stubbs.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
Willis represents a first move of building, not subtracting.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
This chicken is a great recipe to customize to your preferences, adding and subtracting fresh veggies to suit your taste.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2026
It was calculated by subtracting the average net price of the school according to College Scorecard, or the average cost to those receiving financial aid, from the average earnings each year after enrollment.
—Sasha Allen, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2026
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 15 May 2026
Decarbonization is a six-syllable mouthful about subtracting something invisible from our lives.
—John Reid, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
The Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised data, adding an additional 34,000 jobs to January, showing a growth of 160,000, but subtracting 41,000 from February, showing a loss of 133,000.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2026
Home equity is calculated by subtracting your mortgage balance from your home’s current market value.
—Liz Knueven, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
The Phillies will add three to their 40-man roster — Crawford, Moore and Mayza — while subtracting McCambley and Stubbs.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026
Willis represents a first move of building, not subtracting.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
This chicken is a great recipe to customize to your preferences, adding and subtracting fresh veggies to suit your taste.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2026
It was calculated by subtracting the average net price of the school according to College Scorecard, or the average cost to those receiving financial aid, from the average earnings each year after enrollment.
—Sasha Allen, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subtracting
deducting
Verb
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What will the license plates fund After deducting administrative fees, proceeds from the Disney plates would go toward services provided by hospitals and clinics that are not covered by insurance or a patient.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
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The remaining settlement fund after deducting those costs and expenses will then be split among recipients based on their individual amounts, according to the settlement website.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subtracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subtracting. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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