minus sign

American  

noun

Arithmetic.

1. the symbol (−) denoting subtraction or a negative quantity.

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minus sign British  

noun

1. the symbol –, indicating subtraction or a negative quantity

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Etymology

Origin of minus sign

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

Iran probably won’t put a minus sign in front of U.S. growth figures this year, but that doesn’t mean American investors are free and clear.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

“The fact that a minus sign determines the fact that you and I are having this conversation is the weirdest thing in nature,” Meade says.

From Scientific American • Aug. 28, 2023

Next, use quotation marks, the minus sign and the site operator, liberally.

From Washington Post • Feb. 15, 2023

If you know you definitely do not want a word included, add it after a minus sign — type in -rum and you’ll get pages without the word rum on them.

From Washington Post • Feb. 15, 2023

"The minus sign expresses it now," he said; "I could kick myself when I think that, at twenty-six, my mother has to pay my washwoman!"

From The Iron Woman by Deland, Margaret Wade Campbell