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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
Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 26 Oct. 2025
Though he's acknowledged some frustration about the strategy within the GOP caucus, Speaker Mike Johnson has kept the chamber away from voting as part of an effort to pressure Senate Democrats.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The Senate needs 60 votes to approve the budget, but with most of the 47 senators who caucus with Democrats voting no, efforts to win passage have failed.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for caucus
Cite this Entry
“Caucus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caucus. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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caucus
noun
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