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

Etymology

Origin of minimum

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

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

It came as no surprise to Salera that In-N-Out is continuing to add locations in California despite the rising minimum wage and high real estate costs, because it is the chain’s home market.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

One is that some municipal bonds may trigger the alternative minimum tax at the federal level.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

Without concrete steps to tolerate more intellectual diversity, insist on free inquiry and provide real value for money, universities will remain in minimum high regard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

The maximum temperature is the mean average of the daily maximums recorded across all nearest grid cells for the month or season; the minimum temperature is the mean average of the daily minimums.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

They returned to the fair almost daily, two weeks being widely considered the minimum needed to cover it adequately.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

The researchers are now planning a metagenomic study that extends the time series to cover periods of even more intense sea ice minima.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2024

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

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

Maxima and minima refer to the twelve-year period, 1943-1954.

From Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz by John M. Legler

The maximum temperature is the mean average of the daily maximums recorded across all nearest grid cells for the month or season; the minimum temperature is the mean average of the daily minimums.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

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

He thinks it’s likely to become more difficult to extract the remaining oil in the reserve as the market gets closer to the minimums.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 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

White men comprised 78 percent of the arrests for this offense in 1990 when new mandatory minimums governing drunk driving were being adopted.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• minimal