From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishRelated topics: Mathsminusmi‧nus1 /ˈmaɪnəs/ ●●●S3 preposition1HMused to show that one number or quantity is being subtracted from anotherOPP plus
17 minus 5 is 12 (17 − 5 = 12).
The payment will be refunded to you minus a small service charge.2informalNOT HAVE without something that would normally be there, or that used to be there
He came back minus a couple of front teeth.Examples from the Corpusminus• 30 minus 5 leaves 25.• He came back from the fightminus a couple of frontteeth.• Here's the twenty dollars I owe you, minus seven dollars for the movie.• When we take away points for hittingobstacles, you get a finalscore of minus seven.• Tonight's lowtemperatures could reachminus twenty degrees in some areas.Related topics: Mathsminusminus2 ●○○ noun [countable]1ADVANTAGEsomething that is a disadvantage because it makes a situationunpleasantSYN drawbackOPP plus
There are both pluses and minuses to living in a big city.2X-refa minussignExamples from the Corpusminus• There are both pluses and minuses to living in a bigcity.• But were I marking his inauguraleffort for its calmsobriety, I fear my assessment would be beta minus.Related topics: Maths, School, Measurementminusminus3 adjective1[only before noun] British English used to talk about a disadvantage of a thing or situationOPP plus
‘Any minus points?’ ‘Well, the engine is rather noisy.’On the minus side, there is no free back-up service if things go wrong.2less than zero – used especially when talking about temperatures
At night temperatures sometimes fall to minus 30°.
a minus quantity3 →A minus/B minus etcExamples from the Corpusminus• The temperature dropped to almost minus 40.• a tradedeficit of minus £4bnminus points• Self-assessment First sit down and make a list of your plus and minus points.• All colours have their plus and minus points and there are times when a particular colour is best.From Longman Business Dictionaryminusmi‧nus1 /ˈmaɪnəs/ prepositionused to show that you are taking one number or quantity from anotherSYNLESSNet income is gross income minus income tax and National Insurance.minusminus2 noun [countable]a disadvantage or bad feature of somethingWhat are the pluses and minuses of practicing law in the private sector?The car’s only minus point is that the engine is rather noisy.Originminus1(1400-1500)Latin“less”, from minor“smaller”
