deduction

[ dih-duhk-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act or process of deducting; subtraction.
2. something that is or may be deducted:

   She took deductions for a home office and other business expenses from her taxes.

3. the act or process of deducing.
4. something that is deduced:

   His astute deduction was worthy of Sherlock Holmes.

5. Logic.
   1. a process of reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily from the premises presented, so that the conclusion cannot be false if the premises are true.
   2. a conclusion reached by this process. Compare induction ( def 4 ).

deduction

/ dɪˈdʌkʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of deducting or subtracting
2. something, esp a sum of money, that is or may be deducted
3. 1. the process of reasoning typical of mathematics and logic, whose conclusions follow necessarily from their premises
   2. an argument of this type
   3. the conclusion of such an argument
4. logic
   1. a systematic method of deriving conclusions that cannot be false when the premises are true, esp one amenable to formalization and study by the science of logic
   2. an argument of this type Compare induction

deduction

/ dĭ-dŭk′shən /

1. The process of reasoning from the general to the specific, in which a conclusion follows necessarily from the premises.
2. A conclusion reached by this process.

deduction

¹

1. A cost or expense subtracted from revenue , usually for tax purposes.

deduction

²

1. A process of reasoning that moves from the general to the specific. ( Compare induction .)

Other Words From

• nonde·duction noun
• prede·duction noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deduction¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English deduccioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin dēductiōn-, stem of dēductiō “a leading away”; deduct, -ion

Usage

The logical processes known as deduction and induction work in opposite ways. In deduction general principles are applied to specific instances. Thus, using a mathematical formula to figure the volume of air that can be contained in a gymnasium is applying deduction. Similarly, applying a law of physics to predict the outcome of an experiment is reasoning by deduction. By contrast, induction makes generalizations based on a number of specific instances. The observation of hundreds of examples in which a certain chemical kills plants might prompt the inductive conclusion that the chemical is toxic to all plants. Inductive generalizations are often revised as more examples are studied and more facts are known. If certain plants that have not been tested turn out to be unaffected by the chemical, the conclusion about the chemical's toxicity must be revised or restricted. In this way, an inductive generalization is much like a hypothesis.

Example Sentences

Churches don’t have to disclose their donors to the IRS, so donors could seek to influence elections while remaining anonymous — and get a tax deduction for their contributions.

From Los Angeles Times

In September, Leicester City won an appeal against a possible points deduction for an alleged breach of financial rules, when an independent panel found the Premier League did not have the jurisdiction to punish the club as it had been relegated to the Championship when their accounting period ended.

From BBC

While it looks like Forest have evolved quickly from the side which finished 17th last season, following a four-point deduction, seven of the players from Saturday's 3-0 win over West Ham started the final day victory at Burnley last term.

From BBC

A points deduction in March, following a profit and sustainability breach, came before a controversial social media post about VAR Stuart Attwell a month later which ultimately saw the club fined £750,000 this season.

From BBC

However, depending on how the deduction is structured, it could be irrelevant for most and even end up hurting some.

From Salon

Related Words

• abatement
• allowance
• credit
• discount
• rebate
• reduction
• tax write-off
• write-off