[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/minus/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [M](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/m/) / minus

# minus

preposition (minus); noun (a minus, minuses); adjective (minus)

«minus» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Minus means take away. 7 minus 3 is 4. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/#m1)
2. The sign for minus is −. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/#m2)
3. Minus before a number means below zero: minus 5 degrees. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/#m3)
4. A minus is a bad point, a disadvantage: «pluses and minuses». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/#m4)
5. After a grade, minus means a bit lower: B minus. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/#m5)

### In the lessons

the word for subtraction; also a negative number, as in minus 5 degrees; in everyday life temperatures and grades; phrases «plus or minus», «minus sign», «pluses and minuses»

### Examples

- What is 10 minus 4? [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/#x1)
- 15 minus 6 equals 9. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/#x2)
- The temperature was minus 3 degrees. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/#x3)
- Twenty minus eight is twelve. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/#x4)
- Write a minus sign between the numbers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/#x5)
- I got a B minus on my spelling test. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/#x6)
- One minus of the trip is the long drive. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/#x7)
- Count down: 3, 2, 1, 0, minus 1. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/#x8)

### Note

A direct clue: subtract the number after it from the number before it. Order matters: 10 minus 4 is not 4 minus 10. Trap: «minus 3 degrees» is a temperature below zero, not a subtraction. The answer to a minus sum is the difference.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «minus» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minus/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«minus» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/minus.html) on Mova free.