minus
preposition
mi·nus
| \ ˈmī-nəs
\
\
Definition of minus
(Entry 1 of 3)
minus
nounDefinition of minus (Entry 2 of 3)
1
: a negative quantity
minus
adjectiveDefinition of minus (Entry 3 of 3)
1
: algebraically negative
a minus quantity minus ten degrees
2
: having a negative quality
3
: relating to or being a particular one of the two mating types that are required for successful fertilization in sexual reproduction in some lower plants (such as a fungus)
4
: falling low in a specified range
B minus
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Synonyms & Antonyms for minus
Synonyms: Preposition
absent, sans, wanting, without
Synonyms: Noun
debit, disadvantage, disbenefit, downside, drawback, handicap, incommodity, liability, negative, strike
Antonyms: Noun
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Examples of minus in a Sentence
Preposition
He left the restaurant minus his hat. a fruit that looks like a peach, minus the fuzzNoun
She decided that the pluses of owning a home outweighed the minuses. Some employers see a lack of experience as a real minus. Put the minus to the left of the number.
Recent Examples on the Web: Preposition
My daughter, minus her yellow bucket, is permitted inside just before the lifeguard cuts the line off. — Vesna Jaksic Lowe, Washington Post, "Waivers, rules, regulations: What it’s like parenting between two cultural extremes," 12 Aug. 2019 That is almost exactly what happened, minus the premeditated intent to steal the hot rod. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "R29 Binge Club: Netflix’s Trinkets Recap," 15 June 2019 Competition for places in midfield is likely to be beyond fierce even minus the duo, however. — SI.com, "Danny Drinkwater & Tiemoue Bakayoko Set for Chelsea Exits as Frank Lampard Plans Cull," 28 July 2019 Its extreme distance from the sun makes Saturn a pretty chilly place: the average temperature is about minus 288 degrees Fahrenheit. — Dan Falk, NBC News, "Facts about Saturn's rings, moons and more," 22 July 2019 To this date, Fosse is still the only person ever to win the EOT (EGOT minus the Grammy, obv) in a single year. — Emma Dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Who Was Bob Fosse? 6 Things to Know Before Watching Fosse/Verdon," 10 Apr. 2019 After three days of talks the EU’s leaders (minus Theresa May of Brexiting Britain) agreed to nominate Ursula von der Leyen, Germany’s defence minister, to the presidency of the European Commission, the EU’s executive. — The Economist, "EU leaders’ arduous deal on top jobs may yet fall apart," 4 July 2019 However, their attempt to approve the project minus the $300,000 was voted down by a 3-2 margin with McNamara and Councilwomen Olga Diaz and Consuelo Martinez opting to approve the project as it had been negotiated by the city’s planning department. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Five-story apartment complex approved for downtown Escondido," 20 June 2019 To feel blessed minus the hashtag is a blessed feeling indeed. — Juno Demelo, SELF, "I Vacationed in One of the Most Beautiful Places on Earth and Didn't 'Gram a Single Thing," 21 May 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Water polo: Declan Skinner, Sycamore - In three games at the Napoleon Tournament, Declan earned 14 positive points and a plus-minus rating of 7. — Melanie Laughman, Cincinnati.com, "The Enquirer announces 2019 fall season's first high school athletes of the week, Aug. 23," 23 Aug. 2019 He's produced well in that short time with a plus/minus of +27, including 18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. — Dana Scott, azcentral, "NBA Summer League: Six players who have had break out performances," 9 July 2019 Even minus perhaps the most important punch in boxing, Arredondo keeps winning. — John Whisler, ExpressNews.com, "Minus jab, Arredondo relies on power to knock out foe," 4 Aug. 2019 The decision to dump the paper ducats, said Glen Thornborough, the chief revenue officer on Causeway Street, came after some three years of weighing the pluses and minuses of the digital ticket age. — Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, "Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo next on Bruins’ list," 13 July 2019 Along with Alfonzo McKinnie, Bogut was the only Warrior who played at least 10 minutes without a negative plus-minus. — Matt Schneidman, The Mercury News, "Unpredictability of Warriors’ centers might be cause for concern," 5 June 2019 However, his ability to evolve into a C-minus or even D-plus hitter — a dog that would hunt — is still an open question. — Tom Krasovic, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Even with low expectations, Padres are disappointing, underachieving," 23 Apr. 2018 But pilots are mostly a thing of the past, particularly on streaming services, and that has its pluses and minuses. — Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Another Life': TV Review," 22 July 2019 Curry can match numbers with anyone, and the stat people point to his worth in PER, net ratings, volume scoring, win shares and real plus-minus. — Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, "Another MVP? Curry deserves consideration," 8 Jan. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Because the Roamers are good down to minus 30 degrees, the bag is also a solid start for cold nights when paired with these pads. — Wes Siler, Outside Online, "Couples Camping Gear Just Got Even Better," 20 June 2019 Total shareholder return for IBM was minus 22.6%, the second-worst in the industry. — Charlie Mcgee, WSJ, "Strong Returns Lift Pay for Software CEOs," 17 June 2019 With no stars nearby, Voyager 2 recently reported temperatures of minus 74 degrees Fahrenheit. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "How NASA Is Trying to Keep the Voyager 2 Satellite Alive," 15 July 2019 This is remarkable considering that the instrument was initially tested at only minus 49 degrees Fahrenheit. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "NASA's plan to keep the Voyager spacecraft awake and flying," 10 July 2019 In accordance with EFL Regulations, the sporting sanction will take effect immediately and the Club will start the League One season on minus 12 points. — SI.com, "EFL Confirm Bury Will Start 2019/20 Season With 12-Point Deduction Following Insolvency," 18 July 2019 Bunker Hill, Memorial Drive and Valley Oaks all received A-minus grades. — Roy Kent, Houston Chronicle, "Spring Branch ISD schools get mixed marks from Children At Risk," 1 July 2019 Tamimi pled guilty to assault and incitement, and Lieberman sentenced her to eight months in prison, minus time served. — Batya Ungar-sargon, The New York Review of Books, "A Palestinian in Israeli Military Court: Issa Amro, the Judge, & Me," 17 June 2019 The icy blast prompted governors to declare states of emergency in Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois as windchill temperatures fell to minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit across much of the Chicago area and near minus 70 across parts of the upper Midwest. — Douglas Belkin, WSJ, "Temperatures Plunge to Lowest Levels in Decades as Polar Vortex Hits Midwest," 30 Jan. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'minus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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