Definition of "subtraction" [sub•trac•tion]

• The act or process of subtracting; deduction. (noun)
• Mathematics The arithmetic operation of finding the difference between two quantities or numbers. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He states that although some Mendelians have spoken of genetic factors as permanent and indestructible, he is satisfied that they may occasionally undergo a quantitative disintegration, the results of which he calls subtraction or reduction stages."
• "I think that practice of subtraction is also what makes it difficult to imagine the framing of Wyeth's paintings."
• "The most notable subtraction is WR Terrell Owens, who was cut in March."