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
-
Investigators later discovered approximately 51 kilograms — more than 112 pounds — of cocaine and fentanyl inside the suspects' vehicle, according to NCIS.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
Lightning hits the United States approximately 25 million times annually.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
13 June 2026
Adverb
-
Video and images of about 150 strikes against Russian fuel tankers, trucks and other vehicles have been geolocated and analyzed by French open-source analyst Clément Molin and the volunteer-run OSINT group Geoconfirmed, as well as CNN’s OSINT team.—
Gianluca Mezzofiore,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
-
The drugs brought on psychotic episodes that were destructive, and when his son was about 20, the family made the difficult decision to ask Sean to leave the house.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
Adverb
-
Lexington Police Department Moore’s body was found Wednesday afternoon near a gym that she was seen leaving on June 11 in Lexington, a city of roughly 23,000 west of Columbia, authorities said.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
-
The number of institutions being investigated represents roughly one in six of such places in the French capital.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
19 June 2026
Adverb
-
The result has been a group of ridiculously talented dancers with a never-say-quit attitude and a lot of stuff to say — and doing it elegantly.—
Lauren Warnecke,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
Adverb
-
The next inning, the Rays’ Ben Williamson hit a two-out single to Tucker in right field, and Tampa’s Jonathan Aranda darted around third toward home.—
Liana Handler
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
-
Sublime is in the tiny town of Muda, and there’s really nothing around except the hotel and miles of forest.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plus or minus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plus%20or%20minus. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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