The date_sub Function

The date_sub function allows subtracting an interval from a date. It accepts two parameters: a date object created via date_create and an interval created via date_interval_create_from_date_string.

Syntax

phpdate_sub($date, $interval);

Example

Subtract 2 weeks from the current date:

php<?php
  $date = date_create('2023-12-01');
  $interval = date_interval_create_from_date_string('2 weeks');
  date_sub($date, $interval);
  echo date_format($date, 'Y-m-d');
?>

Code execution result:

php'2023-11-17'

Example

Subtract 3 months and 5 days from the specified date:

php<?php
  $date = date_create('2023-08-20');
  $interval = date_interval_create_from_date_string('3 months + 5 days');
  date_sub($date, $interval);
  echo date_format($date, 'Y-m-d');
?>

Code execution result:

php'2023-05-15'

See Also