as in approximately
close to but not exactly
I have plus or minus five dollars in change
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Recent Examples of plus or minus
The margin of error was plus or minus 3%, with a 95% confidence interval.
—
Emily Dreibelbis, PCMAG, 9 Feb. 2023
The Post-ABC poll was conducted Jan. 27 through Feb. 1, 2023, among a random national sample of 1,003 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points among the full sample and a larger error margin among subgroups.
—Scott Clement, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Feb. 2023
The Post-ABC poll was conducted Jan. 27 through Feb. 1, 2023, among a random national sample of 1,003 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points among the full sample and a larger error margin among subgroups.
—Scott Clement, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2023
For the third quarter, the company guided for revenue of $2 billion, plus or minus $150 million.
—Kathryn Hardison, WSJ, 26 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for plus or minus
Emily Dreibelbis, PCMAG, 9 Feb. 2023
The Post-ABC poll was conducted Jan. 27 through Feb. 1, 2023, among a random national sample of 1,003 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points among the full sample and a larger error margin among subgroups.
—Scott Clement, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Feb. 2023
The Post-ABC poll was conducted Jan. 27 through Feb. 1, 2023, among a random national sample of 1,003 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points among the full sample and a larger error margin among subgroups.
—Scott Clement, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2023
For the third quarter, the company guided for revenue of $2 billion, plus or minus $150 million.
—Kathryn Hardison, WSJ, 26 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for plus or minus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plus or minus
Adverb
-
The group would underscore so many of the reasons for its vast popularity during Saturday’s approximately 2-hour show.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The Grizzlies announced the severity of the injury Saturday and said the two-time All-Star would be re-evaluated in approximately three weeks.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Separately, the season's first heavy snowfall blocked multiple roads leading to Murree, a hill station about 37 miles northeast of Islamabad.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Allen, from Ecosure, says annual turnover in dingo populations is quite high – about two thirds of the island’s dingoes die naturally each year.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Lanes of South El Camino Real and the westbound Highway 92 off-ramp to South El Camino Real were closed for roughly three hours following the collision, police said.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
-
In June 2024's legislative first round, the National Rally and allies took roughly a third of the vote.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
That would put a dent in downtown’s office vacancy rate, which has hovered around 38% lately, according to CBRE.—
Jon Murray,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
-
But even though modern-day antidepressants have been around for decades — the Food and Drug Administration approved Prozac for depression treatment in 1987 — there is very little information about long-term use.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plus or minus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plus%20or%20minus. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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