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
-
In approximately 14 months, voters will once again head to the polls to vote.—
Kimberly Ross,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The collection features approximately 350 works created in Cuba from the revolution through the 2000s.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
12 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Cochrane’s machines sold for about $800 per unit around the turn of the 20th century.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Only about 3% of this year's participating students came from D-or-F-rated schools, which Smith said reflected little change from the previous year.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Penske says roughly 20% of Google searches leading to its sites now display AI Overviews — and, here’s the rub, that those summaries lift material from publishers’ work, answer the user’s query directly on the results page, and keep readers from clicking through.—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Indeed, social media platforms drive roughly 80% of total online traffic in the country and serve as vital channels for business and communication.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
With five blades sandwiched between two moisturizing bars, this razor speeds up the entire process (no fussing around with shaving cream), nourishing dry skin and making nicks a rare occurrence.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
During one such strike last week, around two dozen Russian drones entered Poland -- by far the largest-ever of Russian drones into NATO airspace.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plus or minus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plus%20or%20minus. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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