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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
Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 31 Dec. 2025
In a statement from a House GOP spokesperson on Wednesday, the caucus provided some clarification about its involvement with Shirley for his video.
—Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 31 Dec. 2025
Bart Jansen, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
On the other side of the battle is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), an outspoken progressive who caucuses with Democrats, and Mamdani, who are calling on Democrats to embrace a bolder economic agenda that puts Medicare for all and higher taxes on the rich prominently at the top of the agenda.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 17 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Caucus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caucus. Accessed 4 Jan. 2026.
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caucus
noun
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