as in approximately
close to but not exactly
I have plus or minus five dollars in change
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Recent Examples of plus or minus
The margin of error was plus or minus 3%, with a 95% confidence interval.
—
Emily Dreibelbis, PCMAG, 9 Feb. 2023
The Post-ABC poll was conducted Jan. 27 through Feb. 1, 2023, among a random national sample of 1,003 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points among the full sample and a larger error margin among subgroups.
—Scott Clement, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Feb. 2023
The Post-ABC poll was conducted Jan. 27 through Feb. 1, 2023, among a random national sample of 1,003 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points among the full sample and a larger error margin among subgroups.
—Scott Clement, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2023
For the third quarter, the company guided for revenue of $2 billion, plus or minus $150 million.
—Kathryn Hardison, WSJ, 26 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for plus or minus
Emily Dreibelbis, PCMAG, 9 Feb. 2023
The Post-ABC poll was conducted Jan. 27 through Feb. 1, 2023, among a random national sample of 1,003 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points among the full sample and a larger error margin among subgroups.
—Scott Clement, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Feb. 2023
The Post-ABC poll was conducted Jan. 27 through Feb. 1, 2023, among a random national sample of 1,003 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points among the full sample and a larger error margin among subgroups.
—Scott Clement, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2023
For the third quarter, the company guided for revenue of $2 billion, plus or minus $150 million.
—Kathryn Hardison, WSJ, 26 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for plus or minus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plus or minus
Adverb
-
The earthquake's epicenter was located approximately 7 miles south of Huron and occurred at a depth of 5 miles.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
15 Mar. 2026
-
According to data from Cirium, approximately one in five passengers travelling between Europe and Asia-Pacific in 2025 flew on Middle Eastern carriers.—
Blane Bachelor,
CNN Money,
14 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The agency said the facility contained about 440 pounds of highly reactive chemicals.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and much of the Iranian security hierarchy, would not survive the first day of bombing; neither would about a hundred and seventy-five innocents in the southern city of Minab, most of them children.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The prototype combines a pump, valves, and a microfluidic chip into a device roughly the size and weight of a smartphone.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Brent crude oil, the international standard, has soared during the fighting and was around $108 per barrel, up from roughly $70 before the war.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
So do many farmers around here.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Guests walk around in the white cotton kurtas that are handed to them on arrival.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plus or minus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plus%20or%20minus. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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