MINUS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does minus mean? 

• MINUS (noun)
  The noun MINUS has 1 sense:

1. an arithmetic operation in which the difference between two numbers is calculated

  Familiarity information: MINUS used as a noun is very rare.

• MINUS (adjective)
  The adjective MINUS has 2 senses:

1. on the negative side or lower end of a scale

2. involving disadvantage or harm

  Familiarity information: MINUS used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MINUS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An arithmetic operation in which the difference between two numbers is calculated

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

minus; subtraction

Context example:

four minus three equals one

Hypernyms ("minus" is a kind of...):

arithmetic operation (a mathematical operation involving numbers)

• MINUS (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

On the negative side or lower end of a scale

Context example:

a grade of B minus

Similar:

negative (less than zero)

Antonym:

plus (on the positive side or higher end of a scale)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Involving disadvantage or harm

Synonyms:

minus; negative

Context example:

minus (or negative) factors

Similar:

disadvantageous; unfavorable; unfavourable (involving or creating circumstances detrimental to success or effectiveness)

 Context examples 

The mass of the body minus the fat.

(Lean Body Mass, NCI Thesaurus)

In this busy month, the full moon in Taurus 20 degrees will be due November 12 (plus or minus five days).

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The total clearance of a substance from the blood minus the renal clearance divided by the weight.

(Nonrenal Clearance Normalized by WT, NCI Thesaurus)

Over the next few hours, Voyager 2 flew within 50,600 miles (81,433 kilometers) of Uranus' cloud tops, collecting data that revealed two new rings, 11 new moons and temperatures below minus 353 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 214 degrees Celsius).

(The ice giant Uranus appears to be losing a bit of its atmosphere to space, NASA)

With a surface temperature estimated to be about 380 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (around minus 229 degrees Celsius), the environment at Pluto is far too cold to allow liquid water on its surface.

(Cracks in Pluto's moon could indicate it once had an underground ocean, NASA)

That represents an increase of 36 gigatons per year, plus or minus 15, since 2008.

(New Study Brings Antarctic Ice Loss Into Sharper Focus, NASA)

These rare clouds don't form until the temperature drops to minus 108 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 78 degrees Celsius).

(NASA Finds Methane Ice Cloud in Titan's Stratosphere, NASA)

They appear in several locations on Mars when temperatures are above minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 Celsius), and disappear at colder times.

(NASA Confirms Evidence That Liquid Water Flows on Today's Mars, NASA)

The most recently recorded sum of diameters minus the lowest sum of diameters previously recorded divided by the lowest sum of diameters previously recorded, multiplied by 100.

(Percent Change From Nadir in Sum of Diameter, NCI Thesaurus)

The most recently recorded sum of longest diameters minus the baseline sum of longest diameters divided by the baseline sum of longest diameters, multiplied by 100.

(Percent Change From Baseline in Sum of Longest Diameter, NCI Thesaurus)