plus or minus
1 of 2adjective
: indicating a quantity whose algebraically positive and negative values serve to bracket a range of values either alone or when added to and subtracted from a given number
measured with an accuracy of plus or minus 3 feet
plus or minus
2 of 2adverb
: more or less, approximately
a dance for singles plus or minus age 30
Synonyms
Adverb
- about
- approximately
- around
- like
- more or less
- much
- near
- roughly
- say
- some
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adverb I have plus or minus five dollars in change.
Recent Examples on the Web
Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 16 June 2022 The survey of 10,441 adults was conducted March 7-13, before Monday’s bombshell leak, with a reported margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. Nigel Chiwaya, NBC News, 6 May 2022 The margin of error on the poll was plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. Ella Nilsen, CNN, 1 Mar. 2022 Margin of sampling error was plus or minus 1.6 percentage points. Erik Sherman, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2021 Pew said the survey's margin of error, for the full number of respondents, was plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. David Crary, Star Tribune, 16 Feb. 2021 The margin of error for registered voters is plus or minus 1.6 percentage points. Anthony Leonardi, Washington Examiner, 23 Oct. 2020 My best error-free speed, as measured on monkeytype.com, is now a hundred words a minute, plus or minus a few. David Owen, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2022 To reach a league ranking, each team’s point value (plus or minus) was added, then divided by the number of the teams in the league. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2022 See More
Adverb
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 16 June 2022 The survey of 10,441 adults was conducted March 7-13, before Monday’s bombshell leak, with a reported margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. Nigel Chiwaya, NBC News, 6 May 2022 The margin of error on the poll was plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. Ella Nilsen, CNN, 1 Mar. 2022 Margin of sampling error was plus or minus 1.6 percentage points. Erik Sherman, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2021 Pew said the survey's margin of error, for the full number of respondents, was plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. David Crary, Star Tribune, 16 Feb. 2021 The margin of error for registered voters is plus or minus 1.6 percentage points. Anthony Leonardi, Washington Examiner, 23 Oct. 2020 My best error-free speed, as measured on monkeytype.com, is now a hundred words a minute, plus or minus a few. David Owen, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2022 To reach a league ranking, each team’s point value (plus or minus) was added, then divided by the number of the teams in the league. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
Adjective
1926, in the meaning defined above
Adverb
1849, in the meaning defined above
plus or minus
adverb
as in approximately
close to but not exactly I have plus or minus five dollars in change Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- approximately
- about
- like
- roughly
- after a fashion
- some
- say
- around
- somewhere around
- somewhere about
- near
- more or less
- nearly
- kind of
- much
- generally
- practically
- loosely
- virtually
- nominally
- well-nigh
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- precisely
- exactly
- just
- even
- sharp
- due
- squarely
- smack-dab