plus
Americanpreposition
-
more by the addition of; increased by.
ten plus two is twelve.
-
with the addition of; with.
He had wealth plus fame.
adjective
-
involving or noting addition.
-
positive.
a plus quantity.
-
more (by a certain amount).
-
Electricity. pertaining to or characterized by positive electricity.
the plus terminal.
-
Mycology. (in heterothallic fungi) designating, in the absence of morphological differentiation, one of the two strains of mycelia that unite in the sexual process.
-
having a certain quality to an unusual degree.
He has personality plus.
noun
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a plus quantity.
-
Arithmetic. plus sign.
-
something additional.
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a surplus or gain.
conjunction
adverb
idioms
preposition
-
increased by the addition of
four plus two (written 4 + 2)
-
with or with the addition of
a good job, plus a new car
adjective
-
Also: positive. (prenominal) indicating or involving addition
a plus sign
-
on the positive part of a scale or coordinate axis
a value of +x
-
indicating the positive side of an electrical circuit
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involving positive advantage or good
a plus factor
-
informal (postpositive) having a value above that which is stated or expected
she had charm plus
-
(postpositive) slightly above a specified standard on a particular grade or percentage
he received a B+ rating on his essay
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botany designating the strain of fungus that can only undergo sexual reproduction with a minus strain
noun
-
short for plus sign
-
a positive quantity
-
informal something positive or to the good
-
a gain, surplus, or advantage
Usage
Since plus as a preposition has long had the meanings “more by the addition of ” and “with the addition of,” it was but a short step to a newer use, mainly in informal writing and speech, as a conjunction meaning “also, and, furthermore.” Although this use is increasing, many object to it, and it is rare in more formal writing. And plus is likewise objected to, especially for being redundant: The paper was delivered two hours late, and plus it was soaking wet.
Plus, together with, and along with do not create compound subjects in the way that and does: the number of the verb depends on that of the subject to which plus, together with, or along with is added: this task, plus all the others, was (not were ) undertaken by the government; the doctor, together with the nurses, was (not were ) waiting for the patient
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of plus
First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin plūs “more”; akin to Greek pleíōn, Old Norse fleiri “more,” Old English feolu, fela, German viel, Gothic filu, Old Irish il, Greek polý “many”
Explanation
A plus is an “advantage” or an “asset.” You might look silly walking around with flippers all day, but if you lived underwater, they would definitely be a plus. In Latin, the route plus means “more.” The word plus in English can have many senses, all relating to this idea of more, addition, or positive. This noun sense of the word means “a positive quality.” In the same way a number above zero on a number line is positive, and can use a plus sign, a plus is "a positive asset," like a superhero’s ability to fly or a spy’s ability to speak several languages.
Vocabulary lists containing plus
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Number and Operations in Base Ten
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Academic Vocabulary, Unit 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
With the new advances in AI and machine learning-based tools "on the computing side, plus the availability of data, we can be faster, more efficient in recognising important patterns", Knutti said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Tottenham Hotspur's main transfer business was done before the World Cup, with arrivals such as Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Andrew Robertson, plus central defenders Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Households ages 50 to 64 should have essential wealth worth six times their income, plus emergency savings.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Today she stewed the fish with potatoes, onions, and leeks, plus a handful of random herbs from Babulya’s collection.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
The net effect of these pluses and minuses is unknown.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
There are pluses: Caring for the trees for one to two years provides valuable environmental science education, and small trees are cheaper and more likely to be donated, Marino said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
That’s a slight pullback from March, and the underlying data had both pluses and minuses.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
Looking further ahead, they weigh the pluses and minuses of retiring early or late and pros and cons of pursuing and exploring a new postretirement job or career.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
Mr. Ibis pushed his lower lip upward, then let his head bob from side to side, as if it were on a spring, weighing the pluses and minuses, seeing things from both points of view.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
Evidently, there are plusses and minuses to this situation.
From BBC ● May 10, 2023
But ultimately, he says, “The plusses do not exceed the minuses of relocation.”
From Slate ● Jun. 1, 2022
As with the previous downward trend, there are plusses and minuses, namely higher production values per episode at the cost of time spent with the characters.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2022
But the plusses are not enough to merit the support of Dennis McFadden, a Los Angeles architect and a member of UC Santa Barbara’s design review committee for more than a decade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2021
We'll be discussing each of the formatting decisions below, not only giving the summary PG answer, but also discussing the plusses and minuses of each, and the possible options.
From The Project Gutenberg FAQ 2002 by Tinsley, Jim
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.