minimum
the least quantity or amount possible, assignable, allowable, or the like.
the lowest speed permitted on a highway.
the lowest amount, value, or degree attained or recorded.
an arbitrary amount set by a restaurant, nightclub, etc., as the least amount to be charged each person for food and drink.: Compare cover charge.
Mathematics.
Also called relative minimum, local minimum. the value of a function at a certain point in its domain, which is less than or equal to the values at all other points in the immediate vicinity of the point.: Compare absolute minimum.
the point in the domain at which a minimum occurs.
noting or indicating a minimum.
least possible: minimum risk.
lowest: a minimum rate.
pertaining to a minimum or minimums.
Origin of minimum
1Words that may be confused with minimum
- minimal, minimum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use minimum in a sentence
In the back of the exhibition hall were two booths: One for Right on Crime and the other for Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
The Chicago mayor and his allies vow to bring mandatory minimums back before the legislature.
In some cases, that allowed the Justice Department to circumvent mandatory minimums.
How Eric Holder Got His Chance to Overhaul Broken Sentencing System | Daniel Klaidman | August 16, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTFrom the outset, there were clear problems (PDF) with mandatory minimums.
Eric Holder’s Decision to Back Away From Mandatory Drug Sentences Is a Positive Step | Jamelle Bouie | August 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTEach den of sin has its selling points, but Puerto Rican casinos make good with $5 minimums at the blackjack tables.
One First-Timer’s Adventures in Culebra and Puerto Rico | Kara Cutruzzula | March 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
One very important research made by Daffner is in reference to the maximums and minimums that are normal for each successive age.
Pedagogical Anthropology | Maria Montessori
British Dictionary definitions for minimum
/ (ˈmɪnɪməm) /
the least possible amount, degree, or quantity
the least amount recorded, allowed, or reached: the minimum in our temperature record this month was 50°
(modifier) being the least possible, recorded, allowed, etc: minimum age
maths a value of a function that is less than any neighbouring value
of or relating to a minimum or minimums
Origin of minimum
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for minimum
[ mĭn′ə-məm ]
The lowest known or lowest possible number, measure, quantity, or degree.
The lowest value of a mathematical function, if it has such a value.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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