How to Use subtraction in a Sentence

subtraction

noun
Definition of subtractionnext
Synonyms for subtractionnext
  • The children are learning addition and subtraction.
  • The trades were a good start, a chance to rise more so because of subtraction.
    — Chris Fedor, cleveland.com, 26 Feb. 2018
  • If done correctly—and with thought—a belt won’t be a subtraction from the suit’s look, but rather, a plus.
    — Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2023
  • The addition of the bullet means the subtraction of a linebacker.
    — Stephen Means, cleveland, 20 May 2021
  • The addition and the subtraction quotients don’t seem to make sense.
    — Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 July 2024
  • With the changing of seasons comes the changing of clocks and the subtraction of an hour of sleep from your nightly schedule.
    — Kale Williams, OregonLive.com, 9 Mar. 2018
  • After some subtraction and some division, James called her and told her that the plans might need to change.
    — Staff Writer follow, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2023
  • The trees appeared as a subtraction, reflecting their own death as a black void against a less black sky.
    — Ben Taub, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022
  • To many fans, his track record is one of far more subtraction than addition.
    — Jon Meoli, baltimoresun.com, 27 May 2021
  • The art of subtraction is essential to his skill as a writer and actor.
    — Jeffrey Fleishman, latimes.com, 7 June 2018
  • But a league source said that the Celtics will not make any moves that are based on the additions or subtractions of other teams in the conference.
    — Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 27 June 2019
  • That’s more good news — addition by subtraction, something a lot of news shows could learn from.
    — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 28 Sep. 2020
  • But subtraction is in the forecast because of the expansion draft next month when Seattle will pluck a player from the Wild.
    — Sarah McLellan, Star Tribune, 3 June 2021
  • James, age 11, couldn’t do two-digit subtraction last week.
    — Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Aug. 2023
  • The story for 60 years, however, has been one of subtraction.
    — Jonathan Kauffman, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Jan. 2018
  • Those include a sketched subtraction sign at 12 o’clock, as well as the yellow, red, orange, green and blue hues seen on the album’s cover art.
    — Degen Pener, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2023
  • But folks who haven’t been to the theme park in a few weeks may be surprised by alterations, subtractions and the sheer number of construction walls.
    — Dewayne Bevil, orlandosentinel.com, 2 Oct. 2019
  • On the bottom right, a subtraction symbol denotes the record’s title.
    — Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2023
  • But will the addition-by-subtraction plan translate to wins?
    — Olivia Conte and Jill Martin, CNN, 9 Aug. 2019
  • James, 11, couldn’t do two-digit subtraction last week.
    — Ariel Gilreath, al, 29 Aug. 2023
  • So let’s hope at the trade deadline, the Nuggets have a better option than addition by subtraction.
    — Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post, 3 Feb. 2017
  • At tax time, filers choose between a tax credit or a tax subtraction.
    — Josh Verges, Twin Cities, 1 Dec. 2019
  • This set also has a deck for addition and subtraction that his younger brothers can use too.
    — Jessica Fleming, Parents, 10 July 2023
  • And so, over aeons, Mount Sharp was cut out of the once-even plain, a mountain not added to the surface from below like those of Earth, but created by subtraction from above.
    — The Economist, 16 Dec. 2020
  • The process of school addition and subtraction will be anything but simple.
    — Dallas News, 18 Jan. 2022
  • Helio Castroneves is still in the hunt as the 2017 IndyCar championship race is down to the point of subtraction.
    — Elton Alexander, cleveland.com, 29 July 2017
  • And while some Survivor purists may throw their hands in the air and scream about the change, the truth is, a 13-day subtraction does not actually make a big difference in terms of the story on the screen.
    — Dalton Ross, EW.com, 15 Sep. 2022
  • The ramp subtraction did more than just create fresh fan entrances, open atriums and oceans of vertical space.
    — Tim Newcomb, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
  • Combined with the subtraction of the average noise, this could lead to disaster: seeing a signal where there is none.
    — Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2021
  • An increase in imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, also pulled down the growth number.
    — Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subtraction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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