majority

noun

ma·​jor·​i·​ty mə-ˈjȯr-ə-tē 

-ˈjär-

plural majorities

1

a

: a number or percentage equaling more than half of a total

a majority of voters

a two-thirds majority

b

: the excess of a majority over the remainder of the total : margin

won by a majority of 10 votes

c

: the greater quantity or share

the majority of the time

2

a

: the age at which full civil rights are accorded

The age of majority in the U.S. is 18.

b

: the status of one who has attained this age

… graduated … before he had attained his majority …

—W. L. Burrage

3

: the group or political party having the greater number of votes (as in a legislature)

4

: the military office, rank, or commission of a major

Majorities and colonelcies were thick as June blackberries.

—Dixon Wecter

5

obsolete : the quality or state of being greater

majority adjective

Synonyms of majority

• bulk
• plurality

Examples of majority in a Sentence

A clear majority of the voters support the policy.

The Republicans are currently the majority in the Senate.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ace Hardware stores are independently owned and operated, however a majority of them will be closed on Christmas Day, according to the company. —IndyStar, 17 Dec. 2025

The Northwest Fisheries Science Center and the West Coast Regional Office—where the majority of ’s southern resident work takes place—lost almost 30 percent of their staff in 2025, including many researchers with decades of expertise. —Kelso Harper, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025

In polling conducted by YouGov in April 2025, majorities in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden opposed their countries’ developing their own nuclear arsenals, and even higher percentages opposed American nuclear weapons being stationed in their country. —Siegfried Hecker, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

This list is just a small representation of the 6,870 instances of book bans that PEN America recorded in the 2024-2025 school year — the majority of which happened in Florida, Texas and Tennessee. —Katie Hill, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Phrases Containing majority

• in the majority
• majority leader
• majority rule
• the great majority of
• the silent majority
• tyranny of the majority

Rhymes for majority

• authority
• minority
• priority
• seniority
• sonority
• sorority
• exteriority
• inferiority
• superiority

Kids Definition

majority

noun

ma·​jor·​i·​ty mə-ˈjȯr-ət-ē 

-ˈjär-

plural majorities

1

a

: the age at which one is given full civil rights

b

: the status of one who has reached this age

2

a

: a number or percentage greater than half of a total

b

: the amount by which such a number exceeds the smaller number

won by a majority of seven

3

: the group or party that makes up the greater part of a whole body of persons

the majority in the senate

4

: the military office or rank of a major

Legal Definition

majority

noun

ma·​jor·​i·​ty mə-ˈjȯr-ə-tē 

plural majorities

1

a

: legal age

b

: the status of one who has reached legal age

2

a

: a number or quantity greater than half of a total compare plurality

b

: the excess of a majority over the remainder of the total

3

a

: the group or political party whose votes predominate

b

: the judges voting in a particular case who together determine the prevailing decision see also majority opinion at opinion compare dissent sense 3

majority adjective