Did you know?
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact origins of caucus, but some scholars think the word may have developed from an Algonquian term for a group of elders, leaders, or advisers. An early example of the word in use comes from John Adams, who in February of 1763 reported that the Boston “caucus club,” a group of politically active city elders, would soon meet and that, at the meetings, those present would “smoke tobacco till you [could not] see from one end of the garret to the other.” A similarly opaque smoke screen seems to cloud the history of caucus to this day.
Examples of caucus in a Sentence
Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 13 May 2026
Jeffries, in a letter to the House Democratic caucus, called the meeting after a series of blows to the party in the last two weeks on the redistricting front.
—Justin Papp, CNBC, 11 May 2026
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2026
The letter came nearly three weeks after more than three dozen Democrats supported an effort by Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, to block arms sales to Israel, signaling a growing discontent in the party with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the wars in Gaza and Iran.
—Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for caucus
Cite this Entry
“Caucus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caucus. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
caucus
noun
