From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishminusmi‧nus1 /ˈmaɪnəs/ ●●● S3 preposition 1 HMused to show that one number or quantity is being subtracted from another OPP plus 17 minus 5 is 12 (17 − 5 = 12). The payment will be refunded to you minus a small service charge.2 informalNOT 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 Corpus
minus• 30 minus 5 leaves 25.• He came back from the fight minus a couple of front teeth.• Here's the twenty dollars I owe you, minus seven dollars for the movie.• When we take away points for hitting obstacles, you get a final score of minus seven.• Tonight's low temperatures could reach minus twenty degrees in some areas.minusminus2 ●○○ noun [countable] 1 ADVANTAGEsomething that is a disadvantage because it makes a situation unpleasant SYN drawback OPP plus There are both pluses and minuses to living in a big city.2 X-refa minus signExamples from the Corpus
minus• There are both pluses and minuses to living in a big city.• But were I marking his inaugural effort for its calm sobriety, I fear my assessment would be beta minus.minusminus3 adjective 1 [only before noun] British English used to talk about a disadvantage of a thing or situation OPP 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.2 less 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 Corpus
minus• The temperature dropped to almost minus 40.• a trade deficit 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/ preposition used 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.Origin minus1 (1400-1500) Latin “less”, from minor “smaller” 