minus

The word “minus” means reduced by; with a certain amount subtracted. In plain terms, the word for subtraction, a negative amount, or (informally) a downside.

“Minus” is pronounced MEYE-nuhs (/ˈmaɪ.nəs/ in IPA).

Here is “minus” used in a sentence: “Ten minus three is seven.”

Words with a similar meaning to “minus” include defect, drawback, deficiency, flaw, shortcoming and negative.

The opposite of “minus” — its antonyms — are plus, plus sign, antonym(s) of, advantage and bonus.

Depending on how it is used, “minus” can be a preposition, a noun and an adjective.

The word “minus” comes from Latin. From Latin minus, meaning "less," the neuter form of minor ("smaller").

“Minus” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Minus is used for the operation of subtraction, as in "nine minus four," and also informally for values below zero, especially temperatures: "minus ten degrees." Negative describes the sign of a number itself, as in "negative five," and is the form generally preferred in mathematics teaching. In everyday speech the two overlap heavily.

Yes, informally. Because minus means reduced by, or with a certain amount subtracted, it is often used light-heartedly to mean without, as in "he came home minus his umbrella." This use is fine in casual speech and writing but too informal for most professional documents.

Pluses and minuses are advantages and disadvantages. As a noun, a minus is a drawback or disadvantage, so weighing the pluses and minuses of a plan means weighing its good points against its bad ones.

Both are correct, but they fit different sentence patterns. Minus works as a preposition inside the expression itself: "seven minus three is four." Subtract is a verb and takes a different construction: "subtract three from seven." Saying "seven subtract three" is heard in classrooms but minus is the standard choice for reading expressions.