What does "plus" mean?
A positive quantity.
Plus
/plʌs/ adj, conj, noun, prep, verb, slang
adj, conj, noun, prep, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A positive quantity.
- Grammar: plus is listed as adj, conj, noun, prep, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: asset, plus sign, above, accessory.
- Useful contrasts: bad, disadvantageous, negative.
- Usage evidence: You will be paid a stable base salary plus commissions on sale.
How to use "plus"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "plus" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "plus" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "plus" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "plus" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "plus" is acting as adj, conj, noun, prep, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "asset" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "plus", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A positive quantity.
"But the pluses far outweigh the criticisms."
- 2 a useful or valuable quality wordnet
- 3 An asset or useful addition.
"He is a real plus to the team."
- 4 a sign indicating the operation of addition wordnet
- 5 A plus sign: +.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Abbreviation of LGBT+ abbreviation, alt-of
Verb
- 1 To add; to subject to addition. informal
"For him y is a unique number, like 7, but for the time being unknown — if one does the operation of 'plussing 4' one still has, as a result, a unique number even though one does not yet know what it is."
- 2 To increase in magnitude. often
"I am doing a lot of writing here, plussing the script, adding sequences."
- 3 To improve.
"Coach Wooden didn't have to depend upon having the most talented players on his team because he could depend upon plussing to constantly make everyone better."
- 4 To provide critical feedback by giving suggestions for improvement rather than criticisms.
"The animators and directors on the receiving end of the plussing don't necessarily have to accept and incorporate the feedback, but plussing provides a method to share criticisms in a way that makes it more likely that they will."
- 5 To sell additional related items with an original purchase.
"Good will is also secured by plussing the original purchase with another article that goes appropriately with it."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To frame in a positive light; to provide a sympathetic interpretation.
"Plussing is a technique for enhancing a positive atmosphere in the session, for diminishing hostility, and for raising self-esteem."
- 7 To give a mark of approval on Google+. dated
"How do you get others to add you or your brand to their circles? By creating and sharing useful content, commenting, plussing others' content and comments, and engaging with others on Google+."
- 8 To increase the potency of a remedy by diluting it in water and stirring.
"On hearing this, plussing was done (all medicated water of the phial was thrown away and fresh distilled was added and 10 strokes were given) on the 13th February 1974."
- 9 To increase a correction.
"No aspheric cataract spectacle lens designer has ever given the slightest thought to this 4 to 6 diopters of over-plussing for peripheral vision which is responsible for tremendous peripheral distortion, worse peripheral swim, worse false orientation, worse magnification, severe concave curvature of field ("The floor comes up at you"), increased ring scotoma size and increase jack-in-the-box phenomenon (the "horse-blinder effect") with unsafe walking and driving."
Adjective
- 1 Being positive rather than negative or zero. not-comparable
"−2 * −2 = +4 ("minus 2 times minus 2 equals plus four")"
- 2 Positive, or involving advantage. not-comparable
"He is a plus factor."
- 3 Electrically positive. not-comparable
"A battery has both a plus pole and a minus pole."
- 4 (Of a quantity) Equal to or greater than; or more; upwards. informal, not-comparable, postpositional
"The bus can fit 60 plus kids, but we only get 48."
- 5 And more. informal, not-comparable
"Have you been to Brazil, Bhutan, or Botswana? Well, I haven't and I'm reday ^([sic]) to go ― almost anywhere interesting actually. Warm, wise world traveler seeks equally exciting, self-sufficient soul for adventures plus."
Adjective
- 1 involving advantage or good wordnet
- 2 on the positive side or higher end of a scale wordnet
Preposition
- 1 And; sum of the previous one and the following one.
"Two plus two equals four."
- 2 With; having in addition. colloquial
"I've won a holiday to France plus five hundred euros in spending money!"
Conjunction
- 1 And also; in addition; besides (which).
"Let's go home now. It's late, plus I'm not feeling too well."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"You will be paid a stable base salary plus commissions on sale."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "plus"?
Common synonyms include: asset, plus sign, above, accessory, acids and bases lesson, add.
How do you use "plus" in a sentence?
You will be paid a stable base salary plus commissions on sale.
How do you pronounce "plus"?
Pronounced /plʌs/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin plūs (“more”).