ma·jor·i·ty | \ mə-ˈjȯr-ə-tē 
, -ˈjär- \
, -ˈjär- \ plural majorities
Definition of majority
1a : 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
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
3 : the group or political party having the greater number of votes (as in a legislature)
4 : the military office, rank, or commission of a major majorities and colonelcies were thick as June blackberries— Dixon Wecter
5 obsolete : the quality or state of being greater
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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 If none of the candidates are able to secure a majority of the vote on Nov. 3, the top two candidates, regardless of party, will compete in a separate election.
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Haley Victory Smith, Washington Examiner, "QAnon endorser Marjorie Taylor Greene to campaign with Sen. Kelly Loeffler," 14 Oct. 2020 One of the most powerful tools the government has to rein in emissions—the Clean Air Act—is a product of the era in which Democrats still enjoyed a strong congressional majority and the courts agreed not to intervene.
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Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, "This Supreme Court Was Designed to Kill Climate Policies," 14 Oct. 2020 The idea of purchasing a property that could be donated to a Black organization would be a major feat amidst the rapidly changing demographic of what was once a majority African-American neighborhood.
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Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "“The Vibe Is About Celebrating Blackness”: Meet the Women Behind Building Black Bed-Stuy," 13 Oct. 2020 Cayetano recently offered to step down, but his camp said a majority of lawmakers voted to reject his resignation.
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Jim Gomez, Star Tribune, "Philippine Congress standoff ends as 1 of 2 speakers quits," 13 Oct. 2020 But Silver also noted the uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases and a majority of jurisdictions where NBA teams do not allow fans in indoor arenas right now.
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Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, "Meet the eight key figures who helped make the NBA bubble a success," 13 Oct. 2020 There seems little Democrats can do to prevent a narrow majority of Republicans from confirming Barrett in a floor vote.
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Democrat-gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, "Confirmation hearing opens for court pick," 13 Oct. 2020 The same poll concluded that Republicans more likely believed that a vaccine would be proven safe before it was made available, while a majority of Democrats (51 percent) believe a vaccine will be made available before it's proven to be safe.
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Jay R. Jordan, Houston Chronicle, "Houston coronavirus updates: What you need to know for Oct. 13," 13 Oct. 2020 Moore maintained a balanced game despite trailing a majority of the afternoon and used Elliott.
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Calvin Watkins, Dallas News, "‘Win this for 4’: With the offensive load placed on him after Dak Prescott’s exit, Ezekiel Elliott delivers," 12 Oct. 2020
See MoreThese 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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Learn More about majority
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Can 'Majority' and 'Minority' Be Used...
Can 'Majority' and 'Minority' Be Used with Noncount Nouns?
It's not as simple as you may think.
Dictionary Entries near majority
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for majority
Last Updated
17 Oct 2020
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Majority.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/majority. Accessed 21 Oct. 2020.
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More Definitions for majority
majority
nounEnglish 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
nounma·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
nounma·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
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Time Traveler for majority
The first known use of majority was in 1552
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