plus
plus — preposition
1. placed between figures or sums to show they make one total when joined.
placed between figures or sums to show they make one total when joined.
Three plus four equals seven on Emma's homework sheet.
number + plus + number
The hotel bill was $80 plus tax for one night.
amount + plus + extra charge
Two cups of rice plus one cup of water filled the pot.
The trip takes five hours plus another thirty minutes by bus.
- three plus four
- price plus tax
- hours plus minutes
Grammar Patterns
number + plus + number
amount + plus + extra charge
Usage Note
Usually placed between numbers, prices, or measured amounts. In bills, it often introduces an extra charge such as tax or shipping.
Common Mistakes
2. used before an extra person, thing, or amount that is included along with what w
used before an extra person, thing, or amount that is included along with what was already named.
We need two chairs plus a small table for the stall.
item + plus + extra item
Rosa packed socks, a raincoat, plus a warm hat.
The club offers free tea plus help with homework after school.
service + plus + extra service
Marcus invited his parents plus three neighbors to dinner.
- plus a small table
- plus help with homework
- parents plus neighbors
- besides
can add something extra, but is less list-like in tone
- along with
more neutral and common in full sentences
- as well as
slightly more formal than 'plus'
Grammar Patterns
item + plus + extra item
person + plus + more people
Usage Note
The word after 'plus' is an added part of the same list. Distinguish from conjunction sense 1: this sense is followed by a noun phrase, not a full clause.
Common Mistakes
plus or minus
idiomUsed to indicate that the actual number could be a little higher or lower than the stated amount.
The temperature will be 20 degrees plus or minus two degrees.
Did the survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 3%?
plus — noun
1. a helpful feature that gives someone an advantage or makes something more attrac
a helpful feature that gives someone an advantage or makes something more attractive.
Cheap train fares are a big plus for college students.
a big plus for
One plus of this phone is its long battery life.
one plus of + noun + be
The garden is small, but the quiet street is a plus.
For busy parents, online booking is another real plus.
- a big plus
- another plus
- one plus of
- benefit
a general helpful result or feature
- advantage
slightly more formal and broader in use
- good point
informal phrase for one helpful feature
Grammar Patterns
a plus
one plus of + noun + be
Usage Note
Often used with an article: 'a plus'. In 'one plus of ... is ...', the speaker is naming one good point among several.
Common Mistakes
2. the written symbol +, put between figures in maths to show addition.
the written symbol +, put between figures in maths to show addition.
Ms. Lee drew a plus on the board between six and two.
draw a plus between two numbers
Leo wrote a minus instead of a plus in the last line.
contrast: plus / minus
On the keypad, the plus is next to the enter button.
The worksheet asks children to circle every blue plus.
- draw a plus
- plus sign
- between six and two
- plus sign
the most explicit everyday name for the symbol
- addition symbol
used in teaching or explanation
- minus sign
the symbol for subtraction
Grammar Patterns
a plus between X and Y
write/draw a plus
Usage Note
This sense names the symbol itself. In careful writing, 'plus sign' is more explicit when you think the reader might confuse the word with noun sense 1.
Common Mistakes
plus — adjective
1. describes a figure or temperature that is higher than zero.
describes a figure or temperature that is higher than zero.
Even at dawn, the mountain camp had plus temperatures.
plus + temperatures
By noon, the thermometer showed plus readings again.
plus + readings
After two bad weeks, the shop showed plus figures again.
The ski report promised plus temperatures on the lower slopes.
- plus temperatures
- plus figures
- plus readings
- positive
the standard mathematical term
- above zero
plain descriptive phrase
- negative
below zero in value
- below zero
plain opposite description
Grammar Patterns
plus + temperatures
plus + figures
Usage Note
Common with temperatures, readings, balances, and figures. Distinguish from adjective sense 2: this sense is about being above zero, not above a stated lower limit.
Common Mistakes
2. written after a number when the real amount goes beyond that stated figure.
written after a number when the real amount goes beyond that stated figure.
The museum is for visitors aged twelve plus on weekends.
age + plus
That backpack costs eighty dollars plus in most airport shops.
price + plus
The hall can seat three hundred plus for a school concert.
During sales, the bakery serves five hundred plus customers a day.
- twelve plus
- eighty dollars plus
- three hundred plus
- or more
plain explanation of the meaning
- over
common before a number: 'over thirty students'
- upwards of
more formal than 'plus'
Grammar Patterns
number + plus + noun
age/price/quantity + plus
Usage Note
Comes straight after the number it modifies. Distinguish from adjective sense 1: here the comparison point is the stated number, not zero.
Common Mistakes
3. written after a school grade to mean the work is slightly better than that grade
written after a school grade to mean the work is slightly better than that grade.
Hana got a B plus on her history project.
grade letter + plus
The teacher changed Kevin's C to a C plus.
Only two students earned A plus in the final exam.
A B plus was enough for Mia to keep her prize.
- B plus
- C plus
- A plus
Grammar Patterns
grade letter + plus
Usage Note
Follows the letter grade itself: A plus, B plus, C plus. Distinguish from adjective sense 4: this sense labels a mark, not a helpful feature.
Common Mistakes
4. used before a noun to point to the helpful or favourable part of something.
used before a noun to point to the helpful or favourable part of something.
The plus side of winter is the quiet beach.
plus side
Free delivery is a plus point for older customers.
plus point
One plus side of small classes is that shy children speak more.
one plus side of + noun
The early train had one plus side: empty roads.
- plus side
- plus point
- plus factor
- beneficial
more formal and not limited to fixed phrases
- favourable
common in more formal comparison or evaluation
- helpful
plain everyday synonym
Grammar Patterns
plus + side
plus + point
plus + factor
Usage Note
Usually appears inside fixed noun phrases such as 'plus side' and 'plus point'. Distinguish from noun sense 1: here 'plus' modifies a noun instead of standing alone as 'a plus'.
Common Mistakes
plus — conjunction
1. used to add another related point, often in a brief spoken or written comment.
used to add another related point, often in a brief spoken or written comment.
The room is sunny, plus it faces the park.
clause, plus clause
We can leave at six, plus the roads are quieter then.
Marcus forgot his wallet, plus the cafe was already closed.
The game is free, plus you can play offline.
informal addition of a whole clause
- plus it
- plus the roads are
- plus you can
Grammar Patterns
clause, plus clause
Usage Note
Common in speech, messages, and light informal writing. Distinguish from preposition sense 2: this sense introduces a full clause, not just another noun phrase.
Common Mistakes
Synonym discussion
Sense: preposition/1
In arithmetic and pricing, 'plus' gives a compact signal that one amount is being added to another: 'three plus four' or '$80 plus tax'. 'Added to' expresses the same relation, but it sounds fuller and fits better in explanatory sentences such as 'Tax is added to the bill later.' 'And' can appear in very simple sums for children, yet outside that narrow pattern it is too loose to show exact addition. 'With' introduces an extra part, but it often suggests inclusion rather than a new total. Compare '$50 plus shipping' with '$50 with shipping': the first means shipping will be added, while the second usually means shipping is already included.
Etymology
English 'plus' comes from Latin 'plus', a form meaning 'more'. Learned writing in medieval and early modern Europe used the Latin word in arithmetic and trade language, and English borrowed it for the idea of addition or something extra. From that central meaning, English later widened 'plus' to cover an advantage ('a real plus') and set phrases such as 'plus side' and '12 plus'. The symbol + came to be called a plus because it marks that one quantity is added to another.