detract

[US]/dɪ'trækt/
[UK]/dɪ'trækt/
Frequency: Very High

Translation

vt. divert attention; make distracted

vi. diminish in importance; subtract

Phrases & Collocations

detract from

detract attention

detract value

Example Sentences

to detract from sb.'s merit

these quibbles in no way detract from her achievement.

That does not detract from his merit.

They could detract little from so solid an argument.

testimony that only detracts from the strength of the plaintiff's case.

a decorating scheme that detracts but does not enhance.

The defect detracts greatly from the value of the vase.

These revelations should not detract from his achievements.

this CD should not detract listeners from the other two issues.

it is detracting nothing from his ability to say that he owed the championship to a superior car.

Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.

Real-world Examples

The dilapidated barn detracts charm from the landscape.

Source: High-frequency vocabulary in daily life

Does the rat race always detract from the good life?

Source: The Economist - Arts

Pausing to capture it for posterity would detract from that.

Source: The yearned rural life

And while most skiers are happy to share the mountain, crowds that large can detract from the experience.

Source: Travel around the world

But this detracted little from its interest, which lay in the excellent fuel it provided for newly kindled fervour.

Source: Returning Home

Because it's not gonna detract anything from the actual product. And you will survive; you're not gonna die.

Source: Science 60 Seconds - Scientific American July 2020 Collection

This approach does not detract from our pursuit of excellence, but enhances it.

Source: 202320

The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our power to add or detract.

Source: 100 Classic English Essays for Recitation

But the fact that inflation retains so much staying power is likely to detract from the administration's positive talking points.

Source: New York Times

Because it's not gonna detract anything from the actual product.

Source: Science 60 Seconds - Scientific American September 2019 Collection

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