noun
deduction
The removal of an amount from a total, or the amount removed.
A deduction for health insurance reduces each employee's take-home pay.
Etymology
Latin de- and ducere express leading away. A deduction leads an amount away from the total, leaving a smaller remainder and also naming the amount removed.
More examples
- This tax deduction lowers your taxable income.
- Each incorrect answer results in a two-point deduction.
- After all deductions, her weekly pay is $650.
Forms
deduction · deductions
deduct verb — To take an amount from a total.
Similar words
- subtraction
- Names the arithmetic operation rather than the amount removed.
- reduction
- Means any decrease, not necessarily an amount explicitly subtracted.