majority

noun

ma·​jor·​i·​ty mə-ˈjȯr-ə-tē 

-ˈjär-

plural majorities

1

a

: 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

2

a

: 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

majority adjective

Synonyms

• bulk
• generality
• lion's share
• mass
• preponderance

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 a 77-page decision, the majority of judges decided that the judge who oversaw Weinstein’s trial, Justice James M. Burke, should not have allowed prosecutors to let accusers whose allegations were not part of the charges against him to testify in the trial. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2024

Few people in Flushing, the majority of whom are foreign-born, grew up together, and the solidarity of the neighborhood’s residents is fragile. —Jiayang Fan, The New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2024

Ailsa Chang: The majority of consumers are predicting rising food prices. —Ailsa Chang, NPR, 25 Apr. 2024

The vehicle covered 16,200 miles since leaving the factory, the vast majority of which seems to have been put on it by the queen and her husband, Prince Phillip. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 25 Apr. 2024

The average age of a cruiser in the past year was 46, and the majority of cruises were Gen Z or Millennials, the two youngest groups. —Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2024

Studying surprise tsunamis led to an underwater discovery Tsunamis claimed the vast majority of the Great Alaska Earthquake’s approximately 130 victims. —Christian Elliott, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024

In a population where nearly half are younger than 18, the majority of victims have been women and children, the ministry says. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024

Randall Eliason, a former federal prosecutor who has written extensively about the case, said the government could win over a majority in this case if enough justices adhere to the plain language of the text. —Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Phrases Containing majority

• in the majority
• majority leader
• majority rule
• the great majority of
• the silent majority
• tyranny of the majority

Kids Definition

majority

noun

ma·​jor·​i·​ty mə-ˈjȯr-ət-ē 

-ˈjär-

plural majorities

1

a

: the age at which one is given full civil rights

b

: the status of one who has reached this age

2

a

: a number or percentage greater than half of a total

b

: the amount by which such a number exceeds the smaller number

won by a majority of seven

3

: the group or party that makes up the greater part of a whole body of persons

the majority in the senate

4

: the military office or rank of a major

Legal Definition

majority

noun

ma·​jor·​i·​ty mə-ˈjȯr-ə-tē 

plural majorities

1

a

: legal age

b

: the status of one who has reached legal age

2

a

: a number or quantity greater than half of a total compare plurality

b

: the excess of a majority over the remainder of the total

3

a

: 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

majority adjective