majority rule

noun

: a political principle providing that a majority usually constituted by fifty percent plus one of an organized group will have the power to make decisions binding upon the whole

Examples of majority rule in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The trial in Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice (STJ), the country’s top court for non-constitutional matters, had a majority rule that Italy’s decision was valid in Brazil. Reuters, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 As in Hungary, countries relied on courts, based on the new constitutions, to enforce rights and check majority rule. Emily Bazelon, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2023 Opponents say the overhaul removes a key check on majority rule and will concentrate power in the hands of Netanyahu and his far-right allies, eroding the country's democratic institutions. BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2023 House Republicans began their new majority rule by failing to elect a speaker. Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023 Saving Desert Tortoises from Extinction To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The vote-no advocates also exploited a sense that leading Republicans were trying to eliminate majority rule. Peter Slevin, The New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2023 The issue posed by the Israeli right’s latest move, then, is not a legal or structural one but a political one: This is about the illiberal right’s attempt to co-opt power and squash majority rule. Jess Coleman, The New Republic, 28 July 2023 The structural changes to sideline national high courts like those that Hungary made and Netanyahu’s coalition proposed point to the ways in which the main tool of democracy — majority rule — can be used to undermine it. Emily Bazelon, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2023 But his refusal to allow America to be governed by majority rule ultimately doomed the package — and may ultimately contribute to the end of majority rule in this country. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 18 July 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'majority rule.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of majority rule was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near majority rule

Cite this Entry

“Majority rule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/majority%20rule. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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