Word · CEFR B1 · Frequency #4789
minus
/ˈmaɪnəs/
noun
减号；负号
the minus sign (−)
- 1.
The minus sign (−).
减号(−)
- 2.
an arithmetic operation in which the difference between two numbers is calculated
计算两个数之差的算术运算
- 3.
A negative quantity.
负数
- 4.
A downside or disadvantage.
缺点或不利之处
缺点；不利因素；负数；负值；减法；减法运算；减号(−)；计算两个数之差的算术运算
In use
In math class, we learned that the plus and minus are basic arithmetic symbols.
The teacher wrote a minus on the board to show the operation.
Can you explain the difference between a plus and a minus?
four minus three equals one
Connections
Collocations
- a minus sign
- 减号；负号
- The teacher drew a minus sign on the board.老师在黑板上画了一个减号。
- a minus for
- 对……来说是不利因素
- Poor public transport is a minus for the neighborhood.公共交通不便对这个社区来说是一个不利因素。
- a big minus
- 一个很大的缺点
- The noisy location is a big minus for this apartment.嘈杂的位置是这套公寓的一个很大的缺点。
- minuses and pluses
- 缺点和优点；利弊
- Weigh the minuses and pluses of the offer.权衡一下这个提议的利弊。
Idioms & figurative uses
- the pluses and minuses
- 利弊；优点和缺点Before deciding, she weighed the pluses and minuses of each option.做决定前，她权衡了每个选项的利弊。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
减号minus像一道横杠，把好处减成缺点、正数减成负数。
Context & Register
语域：mixed 常见场景：数学或算术、日常口语讨论优缺点 名词表示“缺点”时多用于非正式口语，比较常见于日常对话；表示“减号”或“负数”则是数学语境中的中性说法。
Pronunciation & Spelling
与 minus /ˈmaɪnəs/ 真正押韵的是 sinus /ˈsaɪnəs/。bonus、Venus、genus 虽然拼写都以 -nus 结尾，但重读元音不同，不押韵。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 2，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from DICTIONARY_API_DEV, ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.