Definition of supermajority
: a majority (such as two-thirds or three-fifths) greater than a simple majority
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Recent Examples of supermajority from the Web
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The fiscal year starts July 1, but beginning Thursday, a three-fifths supermajority rather than simple majority is required for budget approval.
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The proposal would remove the current requirement for a three-fifths supermajority to increase taxes to pay for education when the Legislature funds it at a level below a state guideline called the Quality Education Model.
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The House’s 67 Democrats would need GOP votes to achieve a 71-vote supermajority.
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The vote was 4-3 in favor of the project, but a supermajority -- greater than the four votes in favor -- was required under state law.
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But the county's regional board of education fell one vote short of a supermajority needed to endorse the change earlier this spring.
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By making the revenue-generating measure a fee rather than a tax, legislative leaders believe only a majority vote would be needed for passage rather than a three-fourths supermajority.
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.
1977
First Known Use of supermajority
1977
Law Dictionary
supermajority
play
noun
su·per·ma·jor·i·ty
\ˈsü-pər-mə-ˌjȯr-ə-tē\
Legal Definition of supermajority
: a large majority a provision requiring a supermajority vote — say, 80 % of the common shares instead of the usual bare majority rule — R. C. Clark
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