minus

preposition

Save Word

mi·nus | \ ˈmī-nəs

Definition of minus

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : diminished by : less seven minus four is three

2 : deprived of : without minus his hat

minus

noun

Definition of minus (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : a negative quantity

2 : a negative quality especially : drawback

minus

adjective

Definition 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

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about minus

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for minus

Synonyms: Preposition

Synonyms: Noun

Antonyms: Noun

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: Preposition Airbus saw 28 orders, taking the net total this year to minus 61 after Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA canceled a slew of jets in February. — Charlotte Ryan, Fortune, "In a sign of a wider recovery, Airbus deliveries take off," 9 Apr. 2021 As measurements were received, the rover's team determined that the surface temperature on the red planet was just below minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit when MEDA's system began recording on Feb. 19, a day after landing. — Julia Musto, Fox News, "NASA gets first weather report from Mars rover landing site," 8 Apr. 2021 Rolling out the vaccine come with logistical complications connected to the way the vaccine needs to be stored: ultra-cold, at minus 70 Celsius (minus 94 Fahrenheit). — Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, "'V-Day': A year after COVID-19 pandemic began in China, U.K. first to start Pfizer-BioNTech vaccinations," 8 Dec. 2020 Except for the snow, and temperatures that dipped this month to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit. — New York Times, "Canadian Snowbirds Find Refuge in Their Mythical Miami," 20 Mar. 2021 Specialized freezers that can store the Pfizer vaccine at minus 70 Celsius (-94 Fahrenheit): 30%. — Nick Perry, Star Tribune, "New Zealand pushes to end global tariffs on virus supplies," 10 Mar. 2021 These were situations where a company could be purchased at prices meaningfully below a conservative estimate of liquidation value (Ben Graham defined this value as current assets minus all liabilities). — Jeff Henriksen, Forbes, "The Great Value Rotation: A Revival In The Performance Of Value Stocks Masks An Evolution In The Storied Investment Strategy," 4 Mar. 2021 No better than watching an episode of The Great British Baking Show (and minus Noel’s outfits). — Janet Siroto, Good Housekeeping, "Can Replika Really Help Ease Anxiety? I Tried the Chatbot App to Find Out," 23 Dec. 2020 Moderna’s experimental vaccine needs to be stored at minus 4 F. — Julie Washington, cleveland, "Health care workers, EMS and group facilities to receive first shipments of coronavirus in December, DeWine says," 4 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The mix-minus function prevents audio feedback from dial-in guests. — Chris Hachey, BGR, "Best Podcasting Accessories," 9 Apr. 2021 In Jezero Crater, where Perseverance landed almost two months ago, evening temperatures can drop as low as minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit. — Julia Musto, Fox News, "NASA Mars helicopter survives cold Martian night in first step of historic endeavor," 7 Apr. 2021 At night, temperatures are frigid and can drop as low as minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit, posing a threat to electrical components that can crack and freeze at those temperatures. — Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, "Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Holds Piece of Wright Brothers History," 1 Apr. 2021 But Markkanen is a minus defender who plays smaller than his size. — oregonlive, "NBA Trade Deadline/Live Updates: Will the Portland Trail Blazers add an impact talent?," 25 Mar. 2021 And on defense, the Suns are third in points allowed; third in 3-point field goal percentage allowed; and third in team plus/minus. Shhh! — Greg Moore, The Arizona Republic, "Moore: Phoenix Suns have options, but they don't need to do anything at the trade deadline," 23 Mar. 2021 Temperatures as low as minus 55 were recorded at checkpoints along the trail. — Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, "6 takeaways from an Iditarod unlike any other," 19 Mar. 2021 That’s when Ball’s plus-minus rating plummeted to minus-15, tied for worst with fellow Hornets starters Terry Rozier and Cody Zeller. — Los Angeles Times, "LaMelo Ball shines in Lakers showdown, but only to a degree," 19 Mar. 2021 Through 15 minutes of play, his second-highest this season, Nadolny recorded the second-highest plus/minus on the team at plus-12. — Dallas News, "3 takeaways from No. 13 Texas Tech’s win over No. 9 Oklahoma: Unsung heroes make the difference for Red Raiders," 1 Feb. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective At the start of 2020, the S&P earnings yield beat the minus number on Treasuries by a big 4.77%. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, "3 ways you’ll feel the pain of the shocking rise in interest rates," 20 Mar. 2021 Fortunately, the lunar lava tubes already hover at a chilly minus 15 degrees. — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, "Sending DNA from Earth’s 6.7 Million Species to the Moon to Safeguard Life," 17 Mar. 2021 Dallas went from a low of minus 2 on the morning of February 16 to a forecast high of 75 on Tuesday afternoon. — Jennifer Gray, CNN, "It's going to be nearly 80 degrees warmer in Texas than this time last week," 22 Feb. 2021 Xcel Energy, of the region’s largest wind energy producers, said some of its turbines did hit the minus 22 cutoff threshold this week while others were idle because there wasn’t enough wind. — Chris Hubbuch Of The Wisconsin State Journal, chicagotribune.com, "Built for cold, Wisconsin’s power grid hums along in temperatures that crippled Texas," 19 Feb. 2021 That was followed by a minus 46 degree reading Monday morning. — Tim Harlow, Star Tribune, "Persistent cold has no place in Twin Cities record books," 15 Feb. 2021 La Crosse, Wisconsin, reached a record low of minus 19. — Chron, "Houston scrambles to give vaccines after outage," 15 Feb. 2021 They were barely outrebounded by Rutgers and Purdue (both minus-two), two of the most physical teams in the Big Ten. — Marcus Fuller, Star Tribune, "Gophers' defense will be put to the test Saturday against Illinois stars Dosunmu and Cockburn," 20 Feb. 2021 During the polar vortex event in January 2019, temperatures in the Dakotas and northern Minnesota dropped to as low as minus 45 degrees, forcing even winterized wind turbines to shut off before gearbox lubricants could freeze. — Chris Hubbuch Of The Wisconsin State Journal, chicagotribune.com, "Built for cold, Wisconsin’s power grid hums along in temperatures that crippled Texas," 19 Feb. 2021

These 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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about minus

Dictionary Entries near minus

Statistics for minus

Last Updated

15 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Minus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minus. Accessed 17 Apr. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for minus

minus

preposition

English Language Learners Definition of minus

(Entry 1 of 3)

—used to indicate that one number or amount is being subtracted from another

informal : not having (something)

minus

noun

English Language Learners Definition of minus (Entry 2 of 3)

informal : a problem or disadvantage

minus

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of minus (Entry 3 of 3)

: having a value that is below zero

See the full definition for minus in the English Language Learners Dictionary

minus

preposition

mi·nus | \ ˈmī-nəs

Kids Definition of minus

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : with the subtraction of : less 7 minus 4 is 3.

2 : without entry 1 sense 2 I went outside minus my hat.

minus

adjective

Kids Definition of minus (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : having a value that is below zero The temperature was minus 15.

2 : located in the lower part of a range a grade of C minus

minus

adjective

mi·nus | \ ˈmī-nəs

Medical Definition of minus

: relating to or being one of the two mating types required for successful fertilization in sexual reproduction in some lower plants (as a fungus) — compare plus

Keep scrolling for more