perform the minimum

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "perform the minimum" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to completing only the least amount of work or effort required for a task or obligation. Example: "In order to pass the course, you only need to perform the minimum required assignments."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

When he hears all three men leave the house, he takes the gentlest of showers, letting the water drip into his cupped hands to perform the minimum in the way of ablution.

The New Yorker

The results indicate that, for the same cross-sectional area and coolant flow rate of the cooling channels, the cooling channels having the form rectangular perform the minimum time required to completely solidify the plastic product.

International Journal of Thermal Sciences

The requirements presented in this paper should therefore help the analyst to design and perform the minimum number of prevalidation experiments needed to obtain all the required information to evaluate and demonstrate the reliability of its analytical procedure.

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis

These options include staging a token one-hour strike to cause minimal disruption but preserve Unite's strike mandate, setting dates for longer strikes, or giving notice for action short of a strike, such as a work-to-rule where employees perform the minimum under their contracts.

The Guardian

To perform the minimum bactericidal concentration test, aliquots of 10 μl of the treated and untreated cell suspensions from the MIC plate were used to inoculate fresh Postgate E medium (90 μl) and then incubated for 7 days at 32°C.

AMB Express

To develop a decoding-based fusion rule, it is proposed to perform the minimum mean-square error (MMSE) estimation of the transmitted vector v h ≜ H v first and followed by a detection of the transmitted bits from the estimated vector v ̂ h.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

To allow for an efficient implementation on a micro-processor, a substitute controller is suggested to perform the minimum-time guidance task.

Computers and Electronics in Agriculture

N.F.L. rules require players to be available to reporters during the week between games, and Shockey performs the minimum — a subdued and unannounced few minutes in front of his locker, often on Fridays, when the news media contingent is the thinnest.

The New York Times - Sports

I had little in common with the other teachers at the language school, and the students were, by and large, whey-faced teenagers who performed the minimum amount of work and seemed to want no contact with their strange foreign lecturer outside class.

The Guardian - Books

We performed the minimum cycles of PCR amplification to obtain sufficient DNA for a single HiSeq2500 lane (Table  1).

DNA Research

While each individual ONSD measurement within the measurement cluster was being performed, the minimum and maximum ICP observed on the monitor during the course of the individual measurement was recorded by the bedside nurse and the mean of these two numbers was taken as the corresponding individual invasive ICP measurement.

Critical Care

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing expectations or requirements, use "perform the minimum" to clearly set a baseline level of effort or achievement. This avoids ambiguity and provides a concrete target for individuals or teams.

Common error

Avoid using "perform the minimum" in contexts where excellence or exceeding expectations is desired. Overusing this phrase can inadvertently signal a lack of ambition or commitment to quality.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "perform the minimum" primarily functions as a verb phrase, indicating the action of fulfilling the most basic requirements. Ludwig examples show it's used to describe actions ranging from meeting contractual obligations to conducting scientific tests.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

57%

News & Media

43%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "perform the minimum" signifies completing the least amount of work or effort required. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability across diverse contexts, primarily in science and news media. While "perform the minimum" can be neutral, it often implies a lack of ambition, so careful usage is advised. Related phrases include "do the bare minimum" and "meet the minimum requirements". Always consider the context to ensure the phrase accurately conveys the intended meaning, avoiding overuse where excellence is desired.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

do the bare minimum

This alternative is more informal and emphasizes the lack of effort exerted.

meet the minimum requirements

This alternative focuses on fulfilling specific criteria or standards.

perform the least possible

This alternative highlights the intent to minimize effort or action.

execute the minimum required

This alternative is more formal and emphasizes the execution of a required action.

conduct the minimum necessary

This alternative is more clinical and highlights the minimal action in order to fulfil a duty.

fulfill the minimum obligation

This alternative emphasizes the fulfillment of a duty, highlighting the binding nature of an obligation.

discharge the minimum duty

This alternative highlights the fulfilling of a specific role or function, suggesting a more professional or formal context.

undertake the minimum task

This alternative focuses on completing a job or responsibility to the smallest degree.

achieve the minimum standard

This alternative is more focused on achieving a minimum level of quality or proficiency.

satisfy the minimum criteria

This alternative is about meeting set conditions or requirements, often in an evaluative context.

FAQs

How can I use "perform the minimum" in a sentence?

You can use "perform the minimum" to describe completing the least amount of work or effort required for a task. For example, "In order to pass the course, you only need to "perform the minimum" required assignments."

What's a more formal way to say "perform the minimum"?

For a more formal tone, consider using "execute the minimum required" or "conduct the minimum necessary". These options are suitable for professional or academic settings.

Is it always negative to say someone "performs the minimum"?

While often implying a lack of effort, "perform the minimum" isn't always negative. It can also describe efficiently meeting essential requirements. The context determines whether it's a neutral observation or a critical assessment.

What can I say instead of "perform the minimum" to encourage more effort?

Instead of "perform the minimum", try phrases like "exceed expectations", "go the extra mile", or "maximize efforts" to inspire greater commitment and performance.