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minus

/ˈmaɪnəs/

/ˈmaɪnəs/

IPA guide

Other forms: minuses

Use the word minus to mean "less" or "with the subtraction of." When it's minus fifteen degrees outside, it's fifteen below zero — or fifteen degrees less than zero.

Whenever you talk about negative numbers, whether they relate to temperature or your bank account, the adjective minus always applies. If you have minus fifty dollars in the bank, you're below zero on the money scale. You can also use minus as noun, to mean "subtraction," or a subtraction mark: "Put a minus in front of that three before you add the columns." Minus means "less" in Latin, and it's closely related to minor, or "smaller."

Definitions of minus
  1. adjective
    on the negative side or lower end of a scale
    minus 5 degrees”
    “a grade of B minus
    synonyms:
    negative
    less than zero
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    plus
    on the positive side or higher end of a scale
    nonnegative
    either positive or zero
    positive
    greater than zero
    show more antonyms...
  2. adjective
    involving disadvantage or harm
    minus (or negative) factors”
    synonyms: negative
    disadvantageous
    constituting a disadvantage
  3. noun
    an arithmetic operation in which the difference between two numbers is calculated
    “four minus three equals one”
    synonyms: subtraction
    see moresee less
    type of:
    arithmetic operation
    a mathematical operation involving numbers
Pronunciation
US

/ˈmaɪnəs/

UK

/ˈmaɪnəs/

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