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 earthquake struck at a depth of 8 miles, with its epicenter approximately 4 miles north of Fontana.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
As of Friday, Hurricane Kiko remains a major hurricane located approximately 1,200 miles east-southeast of Hawaii and is forecast to approach the islands as a tropical storm early next week, officials said.—
Jon Haworth,
ABC News,
6 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Pick the stems once the seeds have begun to dry and brown, then loosely bundle them and hang them upside down in a warm, dry place to dry completely, about one or two weeks.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
-
After about a year of running tests with doctors, they were finally given a diagnosis.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
The earthquake struck at a depth of 5 miles, with its epicenter roughly 1 mile southeast of Pinnacles.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
His extended family owns roughly 1,200 acres of farmland in the region and grows cotton, wheat, grapes, melons and pistachios.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Bocharov Ruchey, the Russian president's summer residence, is located in the Tsentralny district in the northwest of Sochi, around 17 miles from the international airport.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
-
For comparison, Kansas City’s temperatures are typically around 82 degrees this time of year.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plus or minus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plus%20or%20minus. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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