mi·nus
ˈmī-nəs 
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
Examples of minus in a Sentence
Preposition
He left the restaurant minus his hat.
a fruit that looks like a peach, minus the fuzz
Noun
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
Nadia Lopez, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
Its detectors must be cold, below minus 360° Fahrenheit, or 55 Kelvin, or the telescope would be blinded by its own light.
—Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2025
Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2025
That industry backdrop is both a plus and a minus for Series Mania.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2025
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 18 Jan. 2025
Elsewhere, bone-chilling cold was expected for the Northern Plains with low temperatures into the minus 30s near the Canadian border.
—Selina Guevara, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for minus
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Preposition
Natural change — that is, births minus deaths during that time — added about 48,000 more people.
—Nadia Lopez, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
Its detectors must be cold, below minus 360° Fahrenheit, or 55 Kelvin, or the telescope would be blinded by its own light.
—Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
Advanced analytics such as true shooting, box plus/minus, value over replacement player (VORP) and win shares per 48 minutes are calculated by basketball-reference.com.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2025
That industry backdrop is both a plus and a minus for Series Mania.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
The Heat’s starters outscored the Nuggets by one point during their time on the court together to begin the second half, but still finished the loss as a minus 8 in 13 minutes together.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 18 Jan. 2025
Elsewhere, bone-chilling cold was expected for the Northern Plains with low temperatures into the minus 30s near the Canadian border.
—Selina Guevara, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for minus
Cite this Entry
“Minus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minus. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
minus
1 of 3 preposition
mi·nus
ˈmī-nəs
1
: with the subtraction of : less
7 minus 4 is 3
2
: without entry 1 sense 3a
minus his hat
minus
2 of 3 noun1
: a negative quantity
2
: a negative quality
especially
: disadvantage entry 1 sense 2b
minus
3 of 3 adjective1
: mathematically negative
4 plus minus 3
2
: falling low in a specified range
a grade of C minus
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