detract from

verb

detracted from; detracting from; detracts from
formal
: to reduce the strength, value, or importance of (something)
They worried that the scandal would seriously detract from her chances for reelection.
The overcooked vegetables detracted somewhat from an otherwise fine meal.

Examples of detract from in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Worse still, football detracted from work. — Colin Millar, New York Times, 27 June 2026 To not detract from the skirt and sweater combination, Lopez opted for a pair of clear mules. — Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026 While some fences are charming and enhance your home's curb appeal, others can majorly detract from it. — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 21 June 2026 Perhaps that explains her perfunctory, somewhat rote speech — which still didn’t detract from the joy of her win. — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for detract from

Rhymes for detract from

See All Rhymes for detract from

Browse Nearby Words

detracter
detract from
detractingly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Detract from.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detract%20from. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All