First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
detract
verb de·tract \di-ˈtrakt, dē-\
Definition of DETRACT
transitive verb
1
archaic : to speak ill of
2
archaic : to take away
3
: divert <detract attention>
intransitive verb
: to diminish the importance, value, or effectiveness of something —often used with from <small errors that do not seriously detract from the book>
— de·trac·tor \-ˈtrak-tər\ noun
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Origin of DETRACT
Middle English, from Latin detractus, past participle of detrahere to pull down, disparage, from de- + trahere to draw
Rhymes with DETRACT
abstract, attract, class act, compact, contact, contract, crookbacked, didact, diffract, distract, enact, entr'acte, epact, exact, extract, humpbacked, hunchbacked, impact, infract, intact, mossbacked, playact, protract, react, redact, refract, retract, sex act, subtract, swaybacked, transact, unbacked
DETRACT Defined for Kids
detract
verb de·tract \di-ˈtrakt\
de·tract·edde·tract·ing
Definition of DETRACT for Kids
: to take away (as from value or importance) <Signs detract from the beauty of the scenery.>
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