negative sign

British

noun

the symbol (–) used to indicate a negative quantity or a subtraction; minus sign

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So if people don't seem engaged in what you're saying, there's a chance you'll pick up on that negative sign.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2023

"The lack of a 'freight wave' from China's re-opening was a negative sign for freight demand," said J.P Morgan analysts, who downgraded FedEx stock to "neutral" from "overweight" on the outlook warning.

From Reuters • Sep. 16, 2022

If the team is favored — it has a negative number — calculate the decimal by dividing 100 by the negative number, ignoring the negative sign.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2022

Although this is welcome news for buyers looking for an entry-level house, it could prove a negative sign for the economy as a whole.

From Washington Post • Feb. 13, 2019

I seemed to have a positive genius for understanding him, and he made me know—you see, I kept asking questions till he made the positive or the negative sign.

From The Last Woman by Beeckman, Ross

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023