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

Flowers Rosé of Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast, CA Created with a majority of Pinot Noir grapes grown at high altitude (1,400 to 1,800 feet above the Pacific Ocean), Flowers rosé showcases subtle floral notes of wild roses and clean slate on the nose that evoke this terroir. —Jillian Dara, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

But while several Supreme Court justices acknowledged that the law raises free-speech issues, a majority of them — through their questions and comments during the hearing — indicated that the government’s national security concerns were the prevailing matter at hand. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025

As in the United States, polarization in South Korea has been growing unwieldy for years, but President Yoon Suk Yeol, now suspended, is the first president since the country’s democratic transition in the 1980s to rule without his party holding the National Assembly majority. —Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025

Trump on Thursday exhausted his last legal maneuver to stop the sentencing, after a narrow majority of Supreme Court justices declined to intervene. —Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 10 Jan. 2025

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