Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to deduct points

to deduct points

1 2.5
Take points away from a score as a penalty
  • phrasal verb
  • /dɪˈdʌkt pɔɪnts/
translation icon : deducir puntos
  • If a player repeatedly violates the rules, the coach will deduct points from their total score each time.

There are men who aren't going to view it in that negative way who are cool with it, but there's a lot who are going to deduct points from you for it.

Examples

  • For example, if you plan to deduct points for completing duties late, missing meetings, not completing project requirements at all, etc., then make this clear in the code of conduct.

    Academic text (2005)

  • There are men who aren't going to view it in that negative way who are cool with it, but there's a lot who are going to deduct points from you for it.

    Stephan Speaks

  • If certain requirements are met, you can deduct points in full for the year in which they are paid.

    Blog text (29)

  • Consequences that are related to academics, such as deducting points from the student's grade for the day, should not be used.

    Academic text (2001)

  • If you were missing appropriate comments, or even if you misspelled a word or two in your comments, he would deduct points.

    Blog text (30)

  • He deducts points from our total so that we have to work even harder to get that number back up.

    Blog text (9)

  • If your code was "messy" (by his standards), he would deduct points.

    Blog text (30)

  • If they didn't deduct points for the Fountain of Troy... we might've made top three.

    Fired Up! (2009)

  • But the panel of judges has been instructed that they are to deduct points from us depending on how much we take advantage of anyone other than our own wits.

  • In a sports competition, the referee decided to deduct points from the competitor's score for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Synonyms

to deduct
vsto deduct points
57 3.9

Take an amount from a total, usually money

is used to remove from a score as a penalty not for money totals
to subtract
vsto deduct points
56 1.6

To take one number away from another

is used to remove from a score as a penalty rather than general calculation

Antonyms

to award points to
3.0

To give points to someone for how well they do

How Harsh

to disqualify
116 3.7
to penalize
  • US
60 5.5
to deduct points
1 2.5
to warn
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

deduct + point

The meaning 'to subtract points from a score' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'deduct' (to remove an amount from a total) with 'points' (units of scoring). This is a straightforward verb + object composition common across languages (e.g., Spanish/French equivalents) and follows usual English usage, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The verb deduct points comes from the simple idea of taking away marks on a score sheet. Imagine a teacher crossing out ticks and removing little points from a student's total, so to deduct is to take away. That's why it means 'to subtract points from a score', usually as a penalty.