ENGLISH
REFERENCE

subtract

v.
B1 Intermediate US //səbˈtɹækt// UK //sʌbtɹˈækt// sub·tract

v. to take a number or an amount away from another number to find the difference.

v. to remove a quantity or number from another to calculate the remainder. Transitive; requires a direct object representing the amount being removed.


SIMPLE

If you subtract five from ten, you get five.

CONTEXTUAL

The accountant had to subtract the business expenses from the total revenue to calculate the net profit.

COMPLEX

When calculating the final grade, the professor will subtract points for any assignments submitted after the established deadline.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

Borrowed from Latin subtractus, perfect passive participle of subtrahō (“I draw from beneath; withdraw, remove”); from sub (“under”) + trahō (“I draw, pull, drag”).

Usage

The verb is transitive and typically follows the pattern 'subtract [amount] from [total]'.

Pitfall

subtract ten with fivesubtract five from tenIn English, you subtract the smaller number 'from' the larger one; 'with' is not used in this context.

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