minimum

American  

[min-uh-muhm] / ˈmɪn ə məm /

noun

• minimums,
  plural
• minima
  plural

1. the least quantity or amount possible, assignable, allowable, or the like.

2. the lowest speed permitted on a highway.

3. the lowest amount, value, or degree attained or recorded.

4. an arbitrary amount set by a restaurant, nightclub, etc., as the least amount to be charged each person for food and drink.

5. Mathematics.

   1. Also called relative minimum, local minimum. the value of a function at a certain point in its domain, which is less than or equal to the values at all other points in the immediate vicinity of the point.

   2. the point in the domain at which a minimum occurs.

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adjective

1. noting or indicating a minimum.

2. least possible.

   minimum risk.

3. lowest.

   a minimum rate.

4. pertaining to a minimum or minimums.

minimum British  

/ ˈmɪnɪməm /

noun

1. the least possible amount, degree, or quantity

2. the least amount recorded, allowed, or reached

   the minimum in our temperature record this month was 50°

3. (modifier) being the least possible, recorded, allowed, etc

   minimum age

4. maths a value of a function that is less than any neighbouring value

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adjective

1. of or relating to a minimum or minimums

minimum Scientific  

/ mĭn′ə-məm /

• minimums
  plural

1. The lowest known or lowest possible number, measure, quantity, or degree.

2. The lowest value of a mathematical function, if it has such a value.

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Usage

What does minimum mean? Minimum means the lowest amount or level of something. Minimum can be a noun or an adjective and it has several more specific meanings, all of which are related in some way to its primary meaning. When minimum is used as a noun, its plural can be minimums or, less commonly, minima. Example: Take the pie out of the oven and let it cool for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• minima
  plural
• minimums
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of minimum

First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin, neuter of minimus “smallest, least”; see minor

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Explanation

The minimum is the lowest or smallest amount possible or acceptable. If you do the minimum amount of work at your job, you might not get fired — but you definitely won't get promoted. Minimum is Latin for smallest, so clearly English speakers have done less than the minimum amount of messing with the meaning of this word. Obviously, the opposite is maximum. At minimum, you should know that the word means the smallest limit of something. At most, you should be able to talk about its Latin roots.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

minimum minima minimums

Ice typically builds up throughout the long, dark winter, reaching its greatest extent in March before retreating during the warmer months to a September minimum.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

Lawyers for the Alexanders argued that a sentence of 15 years, the mandatory minimum required by law, in prison was sufficient.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

The minimum wage for 16 and 17-year-olds has also risen to £8 an hour.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

It was unclear whether the strike would halt production, but a union representing mine operators warned that its members would stop work if minimum safety conditions were not met.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Nonetheless, a few minutes earlier, when he had combed his hair, he had done so with the very minimum amount of help from the mirror.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

In momentum space, free electrons are found in the local minima and maxima of the energy landscape, namely at points where the conduction and valence bands meet.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 17, 2024

"We found that even when bulk pyrite sulfur isotopes changed a lot between glacials and interglacials, the minima of our single grain pyrite distributions remained broadly constant," Bryant said.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 24, 2023

Our home star goes through periods called grand minima when there are few to no sunspots.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 19, 2023

She was able to get photos of the Perdita minima but not the hard-to-spot burrows she hoped to also find.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2022

Wherever the present writer gives times, they must be understood to be the quickest of which he happens to have made any note; for the best test of times is a 'reductio ad minima.'

From Climbing in The British Isles. Vol. 1 - England by W. P. Haskett Smith

The transfer came with broader changes to an existing credit agreement, including revising minimum liquidity requirements and removing certain financial metric minimums, according to the company’s latest quarterly filing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

But they are based on 2025 stress capital buffers, or SCBs, which refer to the capital lenders must hold above required regulatory minimums.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

The organisation said their documented figures should be seen as "absolute minimums", as getting information on deaths was severely limited by difficulty accessing sites, government-imposed internet blackouts and political repression.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

You can do this by designating a child as an authorized user, which is a person added to a credit-card account by the primary cardholder, although some issuers have age minimums as low as 13.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026

The weather report was routine—even boring—with details about air pressure, wind speeds, and temperature maximums and minimums.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

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Related Words

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