minus

American  

[mahy-nuhs] / ˈmaɪ nəs /

preposition

1. less by the subtraction of; decreased by.

   Ten minus six is four.

2. lacking or without.

   a book minus its title page.

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adjective

1. involving or noting subtraction.

2. algebraically negative.

   a minus quantity.

3. less than; just below in quality.

   to get a C minus on a test.

4. Informal. having negative qualities or characteristics; inferior.

5. Mycology. (in heterothallic fungi) designating, in the absence of morphological differentiation, one of the two strains of mycelia that unite in the sexual process.

noun

• minuses
  plural

1. minus sign.

2. a minus quantity.

3. a deficiency or loss.

4. Informal. a person or thing with no apparent abilities, usefulness, etc..

   The last applicant was a definite minus.

minus British  

/ ˈmaɪnəs /

preposition

1. reduced by the subtraction of

   four minus two (written 4 – 2)

2. informal deprived of; lacking

   minus the trimmings, that hat would be ordinary

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adjective

1. 1. indicating or involving subtraction

      a minus sign

   2. Also: negative. having a value or designating a quantity less than zero

      a minus number

2. on the negative part of a scale or coordinate axis

   a value of minus 40°C

3. involving a disadvantage, harm, etc

   a minus factor

4. (postpositive) education slightly below the standard of a particular grade

   he received a B minus for his essay

5. botany designating the strain of a fungus that can only undergo sexual reproduction with a plus strain

6. denoting a negative electric charge

noun

1. short for minus sign

2. a negative quantity

3. a disadvantage, loss, or deficit

4. informal something detrimental or negative

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• minuses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of minus

1300–50; Middle English < Latin, neuter of minor less; see minor

Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

minus minuses

Jacob Tremblay embodies a young Kaczynski almost exactly as I have imagined him, minus the smiling and the forging of his mother’s signature.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

The European Commission’s flash consumer-confidence indicator for the 21-nation currency area fell 1.0 point to minus 16.5 in September.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

A consensus of economists polled last week by The Wall Street Journal expected it to decline less steeply to minus 16.0.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

"I think the punishment has been very hard on the club for the last season. And to go into a new season on minus four. And the rest is not for me to decide."

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

It consisted in baiting the hook, casting it dramatically, waiting a while, pulling it up minus worm and fish and starting the whole thing over again.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Watch personal-tech columnist Nicole Nguyen review the pluses and minuses of all the new hot wearable fitness trackers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

That’s a slight pullback from March, and the underlying data had both pluses and minuses.

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

"The plusses outweigh the minuses," Maguire told BBC Sport.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026

When minuses exceed pluses, up to $3,000 in losses can be deducted from taxable income.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2025

Who even cared about the minuses on his old conduct grades by now?

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye