American Dictionary

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Definition minus in American English

minus adjective, preposition

adjective, preposition
/ˈmaɪnəs/

Minus can be used in the following ways:

as a preposition: Seventeen minus nine is eight.The whole family minus John and Darlene was there.

as an adjective: It was minus 12 degrees this morning.The teacher gave me a C minus.

1

used in mathematics for showing that you are taking one number from another. This word is usually represented by the symbol -

Example

72 minus 5 equals 67.

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2

used before a number to show that a number or temperature is less than zero

Example

The temperature got down to minus 15 degrees last night.

Example

Subtract ten from seven and the answer is minus three.

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3

without something that you had in the past or usually have

Example

Anthony returned to work minus his beard.

Example

The Johnsons got home safely but minus their luggage.

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4

used for describing a disadvantage or negative quality of something

Example

One of the minus points was the risk of getting caught.

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Definition minus in American English