supermajority

noun

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su·per·ma·jor·i·ty | \ ˈsü-pər-mə-ˌjȯr-ə-tē

, -ˌjär- \

plural supermajorities

Definition of supermajority

: a majority (such as two-thirds or three-fifths) that is greater than a simple majority treaty ratification requires a supermajority Furthermore, it is about even money that soon after Congress convenes in January it will … approve a constitutional amendment to require supermajorities (three-fifths) in both houses of Congress to approve deficit spending.— George F. Will The company, for instance, has a supermajority clause in its articles of incorporation; 80% of the shareholders must approve any sale or merger.— Joshua Hyatt

Examples of supermajority in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Any new franchise agreement will require approval from a supermajority of at least six of the council’s nine members to pass. — Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Point Loma Nazarene study says city takeover of gas and electric service not worth it," 27 Apr. 2021 The punishments would require the approval of a supermajority of lawmakers. — Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, "Bipartisan bills create new penalties for unethical lawmakers, curb revolving door," 20 Apr. 2021 Many were quick to point out that the FLDS is not connected to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which a supermajority of Utah’s legislators belong to. — Kolbie Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune, "Cardi B has something to say about Utah’s new porn-blocker law," 30 Mar. 2021 Second, change the cloture rule for ending debate from three-fifths of all senators (a supermajority of 60 when no seats are vacant) to three-fifths of senators voting. — Carl Levin And Richard A. Arenberg, WSJ, "Progressives Would Miss the Filibuster," 29 Mar. 2021 And there is now a supermajority of 43 Democrats among whom Mr. Cuomo counts virtually no durable allies, according to multiple legislators. — New York Times, "The Imperious Rise and Accelerating Fall of Andrew Cuomo," 13 Mar. 2021 Requiring a supermajority of 60 senators to bring a measure to a vote was supposed to promote broadly acceptable compromises instead of partisan measures that might squeak through with a narrower majority. — Doyle Mcmanus Washington Columnist, Los Angeles Times, "Column: McConnell wants to use the filibuster to block Biden’s agenda. Here’s how Biden can outfox him," 7 Mar. 2021 With the trial set to begin Tuesday, and a supermajority of senators unlikely to convict him on the single charge, the question arises: Why bother? — Lisa Mascaro, Star Tribune, "Trump impeachment trial confronts memories of Capitol siege," 5 Feb. 2021 Like the last impeachment trial, this one is unlikely to result in a conviction: A supermajority of 67 senators is needed to convict the president, which would require the support of 17 Republicans. — Susan Ferrechio, Washington Examiner, "Second time the charm? House Democrats try Trump impeachment trial again," 25 Jan. 2021

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