diff --git a/components/bootloader/subproject/CMakeLists.txt b/components/bootloader/subproject/CMakeLists.txt
index 5428ec2463..2daf4d90eb 100644
--- a/components/bootloader/subproject/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/components/bootloader/subproject/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ idf_build_set_property(__COMPONENT_REQUIRES_COMMON "${common_req}")
 idf_build_set_property(__OUTPUT_SDKCONFIG 0)
 project(bootloader)
 
-idf_build_set_property(COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "-DBOOTLOADER_BUILD=1" APPEND)
+idf_build_set_property(COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "BOOTLOADER_BUILD=1" APPEND)
 idf_build_set_property(COMPILE_OPTIONS "-fno-stack-protector" APPEND)
 
 idf_component_get_property(main_args esptool_py FLASH_ARGS)
diff --git a/components/nvs_flash/host_test/nvs_page_test/CMakeLists.txt b/components/nvs_flash/host_test/nvs_page_test/CMakeLists.txt
index 7cbfe573bb..6d51e4612e 100644
--- a/components/nvs_flash/host_test/nvs_page_test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/components/nvs_flash/host_test/nvs_page_test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ list(APPEND EXTRA_COMPONENT_DIRS "$ENV{IDF_PATH}/tools/mocks/driver/")
 list(APPEND EXTRA_COMPONENT_DIRS "$ENV{IDF_PATH}/tools/mocks/freertos/")
 list(APPEND EXTRA_COMPONENT_DIRS "$ENV{IDF_PATH}/tools/mocks/spi_flash/")
 
-idf_build_set_property(COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "-DNO_DEBUG_STORAGE" APPEND)
+idf_build_set_property(COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "NO_DEBUG_STORAGE" APPEND)
 project(test_nvs_page_host)
 
 
diff --git a/components/pthread/CMakeLists.txt b/components/pthread/CMakeLists.txt
index 1db395070e..e7336108c0 100644
--- a/components/pthread/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/components/pthread/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ set(sources "pthread.c"
 idf_component_register(SRCS ${sources}
                     INCLUDE_DIRS include)
 
-idf_build_set_property(COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "-D_POSIX_READER_WRITER_LOCKS" APPEND)
+idf_build_set_property(COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "_POSIX_READER_WRITER_LOCKS" APPEND)
 
 set(extra_link_flags "-u pthread_include_pthread_impl")
 list(APPEND extra_link_flags "-u pthread_include_pthread_cond_impl")
diff --git a/tools/cmake/build.cmake b/tools/cmake/build.cmake
index e467a06700..ac76846edd 100644
--- a/tools/cmake/build.cmake
+++ b/tools/cmake/build.cmake
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ function(__build_get_idf_git_revision)
     endif()
     # cut IDF_VER to required 32 characters.
     string(SUBSTRING "${idf_ver_t}" 0 31 idf_ver)
-    idf_build_set_property(COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "-DIDF_VER=\"${idf_ver}\"" APPEND)
+    idf_build_set_property(COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "IDF_VER=\"${idf_ver}\"" APPEND)
     git_submodule_check("${idf_path}")
     idf_build_set_property(IDF_VER ${idf_ver})
 endfunction()
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ function(__build_set_default_build_specifications)
     unset(c_compile_options)
     unset(cxx_compile_options)
 
-    list(APPEND compile_definitions "-D_GNU_SOURCE")
+    list(APPEND compile_definitions "_GNU_SOURCE")
 
     list(APPEND compile_options     "-ffunction-sections"
                                     "-fdata-sections"
@@ -592,7 +592,7 @@ macro(idf_build_process target)
 
     # All targets built under this scope is with the ESP-IDF build system
     set(ESP_PLATFORM 1)
-    idf_build_set_property(COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "-DESP_PLATFORM" APPEND)
+    idf_build_set_property(COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "ESP_PLATFORM" APPEND)
 
     # Perform component processing (inclusion of project_include.cmake, adding component
     # subdirectories, creating library targets, linking libraries, etc.)
diff --git a/tools/mocks/driver/CMakeLists.txt b/tools/mocks/driver/CMakeLists.txt
index cb68badac0..58d2c0bddb 100644
--- a/tools/mocks/driver/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tools/mocks/driver/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -21,4 +21,4 @@ idf_component_mock(INCLUDE_DIRS ${include_dirs}
     ${original_driver_dir}/include/driver/i2c.h
     ${original_driver_dir}/include/driver/gpio.h)
 
-idf_build_set_property(COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "-DSPI_MOCK" APPEND)
+idf_build_set_property(COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "SPI_MOCK" APPEND)