majority

noun

ma·jor·i·ty | \mə-ˈjȯr-ə-tē,

-ˈjär-\

plural majorities

Definition of majority

1 obsolete : the quality or state of being greater

2a : 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

3a : 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

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

5 : the military office, rank, or commission of a major majorities and colonelcies were thick as June blackberries— Dixon Wecter

Other Words from majority Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about majority

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for majority

Synonyms

bulk, generality, lion's share, mass, preponderance

Antonyms

minority

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

Washington declared itself a sanctuary state before California, and Inslee and other state leaders were among the first to sue the Trump administration over its initial plan to ban travel to the U.S. from several majority-Muslim nations. — Joe Garofoli, SFChronicle.com, "This West Coast governor is gaining 2020 presidential attention," 10 July 2018 The Supreme Court also recently ruled 5-4 to uphold President Donald Trump’s travel ban, which keeps people from five majority-Muslim countries, North Korea and Venezuela from entering the country due to security concerns. — Erin Hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Roskam, Casten clash on public unions, travel ban in first debate," 7 July 2018 Last year, the university joined 30 other universities in an amicus brief to the US Supreme Court opposing President Trump’s immigration ban on several majority-Muslim countries. — J.d. Capelouto, BostonGlobe.com, "Northeastern University comes under fire for receiving millions from ICE through research contract," 5 July 2018 Somalia, a majority-Muslim country on the eastern tip of Africa, is on President Donald Trump’s list of mostly Muslim countries banned from visiting the U.S. The Supreme Court upheld the ban Tuesday. — Faith E. Pinho, Indianapolis Star, "How Trump’s travel ban kept one Somali man from Indianapolis," 28 June 2018 Tuesday's judgment was issued the same day that Trump notched a victory in securing the Supreme Court's endorsement of his authority to ban travelers from numerous majority-Muslim countries. — Anchorage Daily News, "Federal judge bars separation of migrant children, orders family reunification," 27 June 2018 The media company in March acquired a majority stake in Pinewood Toronto. — Erik Heinrich, latimes.com, "Toronto has been a film and TV hub for decades. Now Guillermo del Toro may give the Canadian city an edge," 12 July 2018 That didn’t pan out, and around the time that SimpliSafe was negotiating a deal to sell a majority stake to Hellman & Friedman, a California private equity firm, Erchak was shutting down BeON Home. — Scott Kirsner, BostonGlobe.com, "Why one Boston home security startup caught on and another didn’t," 12 July 2018 After the dust settled, Airbus had taken a majority stake in the Bombardier CSeries, with planes to be built in Mobile, Alabama, and Boeing had formed a joint venture with Brazilian regional-jet manufacturer Embraer. — Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, "JetBlue: New Airbus A220s to offer more seats, bigger bins on Embraer routes," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'majority.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about majority

Dictionary Entries near majority

Statistics for majority

Last Updated

7 Nov 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for majority

The first known use of majority was in 1552

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for majority

majority

noun

English Language Learners Definition of majority

: a number that is greater than half of a total

: a number of votes that is more than half of the total number

: the group or party that is the greater part of a large group

See the full definition for majority in the English Language Learners Dictionary

majority

noun

ma·jor·i·ty | \mə-ˈjȯr-ə-tē

plural majorities

Kids Definition of majority

1 : a number greater than half of a total

2 : a group or party that makes up the greater part of a whole body of people The majority chose a leader.

3 : the amount by which a number is more than half the total She won the election by a majority of 200 votes.

4 : the age at which a person has the full rights of an adult

majority

noun

ma·jor·i·ty | \mə-ˈjȯr-ə-tē

plural majorities

Legal Definition of majority

1a : legal age

b : the status of one who has reached legal age

2a : a number or quantity greater than half of a total — compare plurality

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

3a : 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