Skip to main content
to deduct

to deduct

57 3.9
Take an amount from a total, usually money
  • verb
  • /dɪˈdʌkt/
translation icon : deducir
  • Long-standing federal tax policy allowed businesses to fully deduct the costs of health insurance.
  • deduct expenses
  • deduct taxes
  • deduct the cost

You're going to be given the option to deduct the mileage.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The company charged a small monthly rent, automatically deducted from the miners' pay.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Did you deduct 16 pounds for your shoes?

  • So we get to deduct that interest, right?

  • And as we know with the current environment, prices are going up, so the more we can deduct, the better.

  • I suppose I should deduct some money for the delay and change of drop off location.

  • Okay, we'll deduct it from my salary.

  • Beginning in 1994, certain real estate operators can deduct real estate losses against active and portfolio income.

    Academic text (1993)
  • One of the big drivers or tax expenditures in the system right now is the ability to deduct your mortgage interest.

  • Likewise, taxpayers can still deduct lobbying expenses if they are to influence local officials or local legislation.

    Academic text (1993)
  • You can deduct your business expenses from your taxable income.

Synonyms

to take off
vsto deduct
217 3.1

To remove an amount from a total

is used mainly for money or formal expense calculations
to subtract
vsto deduct
56 1.6

To take one number away from another

is used especially for money amounts rather than pure arithmetic
to decrement
vsto deduct
  • Specialized
1 7.4

To make a number or amount smaller, often by one

is broader, applying to money or varied subtraction amounts
to subduct
vsto deduct
8.2

To take an amount away from a total

focuses more on money examples like taxes or expenses

Antonyms

934 1.0

Put numbers or amounts together to find their total

Phrasal Verbs

Take points away from a score as a penalty

How Much

to seize
  • Formal
156 4.6
to confiscate
154 5.5
to garnishee
  • Jargon
1 9.8
to deduct
57 3.9
to withhold
210 5.1

Surface Forms

deduct infinitive
deducted past
deducted past participle
deducting present participle
deducts third person singular

Morphology

deduct = duct (semi-transparent) = de + duct

The prefix 'de-' suggests removal (subtract), but 'duct' as a standalone English word does not mean 'lead/bring' for most learners, so the subtraction sense is only partly inferable.

Etymology

Deduct comes from the parts de- ('away' or 'down') and duc ('lead'), the same root you see in reduce and produce. So to deduct money is to 'lead' some amount 'away' from the total — in other words, to take it away.