[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/minimum.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / minimum

[← M](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/M/)

# minimum

«minimum» in Mova's school dictionary: **The smallest amount, number or level possible or allowed** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a minimum, minimums or minima); adjective

### meaning for a pupil

1) The smallest amount, number or level possible or allowed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minimum/#m1)

2) (adjective) Being the smallest possible or allowed: "the minimum age". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minimum/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In maths: the minimum is the lowest value in a set; "at least" means the minimum. In safety: minimum age, minimum height for a ride. Phrases: at a minimum, keep to a minimum, bare minimum, minimum wage.

### examples

- The minimum temperature last night was 2 °C. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minimum/#x1)
- You must be a minimum of 120 cm tall for this ride. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minimum/#x2)
- Keep noise to a minimum in the library. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minimum/#x3)
- Find the minimum value in the list: 7, 3, 9, 5. It is 3. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minimum/#x4)
- He did the bare minimum of homework. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minimum/#x5)
- The minimum number of players is four. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minimum/#x6)

### note

Plural: minimums (everyday) or minima (science). Short form: min. Opposite: maximum. Maths: "a minimum of 5" means 5 or more (≥ 5). In statistics, range = maximum − minimum.

### In the corpora

- [The minimum payment barely covers the interest, so paying only the minimum keeps a debt going for years.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/8-borrowing-and-debt/13/)
- [The minimum wage is the lowest pay per hour the law allows; raising it gives workers more but raises costs for businesses.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/18-prices-money-and-jobs-why-everything-costs-more/14/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «minimum» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/minimum/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.