major party

noun

: a political party having electoral strength sufficient to permit it to win control of a government usually with comparative regularity and when defeated to constitute the principal opposition to the party in power

Examples of major party in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Because of Germany's Nazi past, far-right movements have always come under strong scrutiny, with the other major parties maintaining a firewall against any form of cooperation. — Kirsten Grieshaber, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Sep. 2026

That message helped inspire her own trailblazing political career that eventually led her to become the first female presidential candidate to win a major party’s nomination during the 2016 election cycle. — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026

The other major parties would be expected to field candidates in that vote. — Reagan Yip, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

The election demanded by Reform UK's leader, who faces corruption accusations, has turned into a punch line after major parties dismissed it as a stunt and declined to field candidates. — Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for major party

• counterparty
• multiparty
• arty
• carty
• hearty
• parti
• astarte
• mccarty
• nonparty