equal sign

or equals sign

noun

, Mathematics.

1. the symbol (=), used in a mathematical expression to indicate that the terms it separates are equal.

equal sign

noun

1. the symbol =, used to indicate a mathematical equality

Word History and Origins

Origin of equal sign¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

The anti-CRT bowdlerizers will also excise discussion of “equality,” banning as odious the equal sign.

From Washington Post

For obligatory purchases like gas and groceries, add an equal sign.

From Seattle Times

I look at the blue-and-yellow equal sign sticker on the window by the door right below the Jump & Grind sign.

From Literature

The day after the mural first appeared, Black Lives Matter activists took the emblem of the D.C. flag and remade it into an equal sign that was followed by the words “Defund the Police.”

From Washington Post

Within days, activists had erased the stars to create the appearance of an equal sign and added their own message, turning the mural into “Black Lives Matter=Defund The Police.”

From Seattle Times