deduction
amount taken off a total
Money, points, or another amount that is taken away from a larger amount, for example from your pay or your score.
a deduction from [something]
- After tax and insurance deductions, her paycheck was much smaller than she expected.
- There will be a deduction from your final bill if you pay before the end of the month.
- The referee made a two-point deduction for the foul.
- The company introduced an automatic deduction for employee pension contributions.
- There is a big deduction from my pay for taxes.
- We saw a small deduction on our phone bill this month.
- He got a five-point deduction on the test for spelling mistakes.
- After all the deductions, she took home less money.
process of logical reasoning
The careful thinking process where you look at facts and rules and then decide what must be true.
by deduction, [someone] concludes that [clause]
- Through careful deduction, the scientist identified the most likely cause of the problem.
- The detective relied on deduction rather than on chance discoveries.
- By deduction, we can say that someone must have entered through the back door.
- In math, deduction is used to prove that a statement must be true in all cases.
- The police used deduction to find the thief.
- With some deduction, you can solve this puzzle.
- She explained her deduction step by step.
- By deduction, he knew the answer before he checked it.
conclusion from logical reasoning
A decision or idea that you reach after thinking carefully about the facts.
to make a deduction about [something]
- That was a clever deduction; I never would have connected those clues.
- Her deduction that the files were deleted on purpose turned out to be correct.
- From these numbers, the obvious deduction is that sales are falling.
- The judge said that the lawyer’s deduction was not supported by the evidence.
- His deduction was wrong, so the answer was not correct.
- My deduction is that she is not coming.
- This deduction is based on the facts we know.
- Your deduction makes sense to me.
- Base: deduction
- Plural: deduction, deductions
by deduction
1using logical reasoning to know
By thinking carefully about facts and rules to find what must be true.
- By deduction, we know the package must have arrived yesterday.
- She didn’t tell me directly, but I worked it out by deduction.
- The answer isn’t written there; you have to find it by deduction.
payroll deduction
1automatic amount taken from pay
Money taken from your pay by your employer, for example for tax, insurance, or retirement savings, before you get the rest.
- Her health insurance premium is paid through a payroll deduction.
- The company set up a payroll deduction so employees can donate to charity every month.
- Most of your taxes are collected by payroll deduction.
standard deduction
1fixed general tax deduction
A basic fixed amount that many people can subtract from their income on a tax form instead of writing down many small tax deductions one by one.
- For many people, taking the standard deduction is easier than itemizing expenses.
- The government increased the standard deduction this year.
- They decided not to list all their costs and just claimed the standard deduction.
tax deduction
1amount that lowers taxable income
An amount of money that the tax rules let you subtract from your income so you pay tax on a smaller amount.
- Childcare costs can sometimes qualify as a tax deduction.
- Make sure you keep your receipts so you can claim the tax deduction next year.
- Owning a home may give you extra tax deductions on your mortgage interest.