- used when you subtract (= take away) one number or thing from another one
- Seven minus three is four (7 − 3 = 4).
- the former Soviet Union, minus the Baltic republics and Georgia
- used to express temperature below zero degrees
- It was minus ten.
- The temperature dropped to minus 28 degrees centigrade (−28°C).
- (informal) without something that was there before
- We're going to be minus a car for a while.
- The group found itself minus a bass player.
opposite plus1
Word Originlate 15th cent.: from Latin, neuter of minor ‘less’.
Idioms
See minus in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee minus in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishplus or minus
- used when the number mentioned may actually be more or less by a particular amount
- The margin of error was plus or minus three percentage points.
Check pronunciation:
minus