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

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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

In October, Ma will be back on the Shanghai calendar again with Labelhood and plans to take his Spring 2020 collection to Paris for sales appointments (as many stores still do the majority of their buying in Paris). — Emily Farra, Vogue, "Ming Ma, Shanghai’s Breakout Designer, Talks His Influences and the Future of Chinese Fashion," 4 Apr. 2019 For the majority of the beginning of their careers, Beyoncé and Jay-Z were pretty hush on their personal relationship. — Natalie Maher, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Best Drinking Songs to Raise a Glass To," 29 Mar. 2019 For the majority of scenes in A Star Is Born, Lady Gaga's character Ally wore little-to-no makeup at all. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "Lady Gaga’s Makeup Artist Posted the Best Beauty Throwback of Ally From A Star Is Born," 14 Mar. 2019 One Twitter user devoted the majority of his account to harassing him. — Alexander Huls, Popular Mechanics, "The Great Star Wars Heist," 7 Mar. 2019 Windows 10 Home will suffice for the majority of individual or family users. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Who needs Windows 10 Pro: 5 reasons to upgrade," 5 Mar. 2019 Instead, the majority of the works are placed in stores and boutiques around the avenue Omotesando, a hub for design and architecture in bustling Shibuya, on the border of the hip Tokyo neighborhood of Harajuku. — Sarah Hucal, Curbed, "Designart Tokyo, in second-annual event, shows promise," 27 Nov. 2018 This particular ambition—of reaching the vast majority of TV sets in the world—is very important and the message is urgent. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "David Attenborough's Our Planet: What We Know About the New Netflix Show," 25 Mar. 2019 According to him, Jordyn was hiding in the back for the majority of the night. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Tristan Thompson and Jordyn Woods' Cheating Scandal and Everything That Went Down," 22 Feb. 2019

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.

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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