Abstract According to the regulation of growing and decay of artificial radioactive nuclide, a formula used to subtract the effect of characteristic γ-ray of the others to that of measured reaction was deduced. And then the cross sections of 120Te (n, 2n)119mTe reaction induced by neutrons around 14 MeV were measured by activation relative to the 93Nb (n, 2n)92mNb. In the process of the cross sections measured to be calculated, it was subtracted that the effect of characteristic γ-ray of 126Te (n, p)126Sb to that of measured 120Te (n, 2n)119mTe reaction using the formula deduced. The experimental results were (689±37) and (750±41) mb at the neutron energies of (13.5±0.3) and (14.6±0.3) MeV, respectively. Measurements were carried out by γ-detection using a coaxial HPGe detector. As samples, spectroscopically pure tellurium powder has been used. The fast neutrons were produced by the T(d, n)4He reaction. The neutron energies in these measurements were determined by the method of cross-section ratios between 90Zr (n, 2n) 89m+gZr and 93Nb (n, 2n) 92mNb reactions.