- 1 [singular + singular or plural verb] majority (of somebody/something) the largest part of a group of people or things The majority of people interviewed prefer TV to radio. The majority was/were in favour of banning smoking. This treatment is not available in the vast majority of hospitals. a majority decision (= one that is decided by what most people want) In the nursing profession, women are in a/the majority. opposite minority see also moral majority, silent majority Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebig, great, huge, … verb + majoritycompose, constitute, form, … majority + nouncommunity, culture, group, … prepositionin the majority phrasesin the majority of cases See full entry See related entries: Social justice
- 2 [countable] the number of votes by which one political party wins an election; the number of votes by which one side in a discussion, etc. wins She was elected by/with a majority of 749. a clear (= large) majority majority (over somebody) They had a large majority over their nearest rivals. The government does not have an overall majority (= more members than all the other parties added together). The resolution was carried by a huge majority. Wordfinderdemocracycandidate, constituency, contest, democracy, election, majority, manifesto, poll, referendum, swing vote CollocationsVoting in electionsRunning for election conduct/hold an election/a referendum (especially North American English) run for office/election/governor/mayor/president/the White House (especially British English) stand for election/office/Parliament/the Labour Party/a second term hold/call/contest a general/national election launch/run a presidential election campaign support/back a candidate sway/convince/persuade voters/the electorate appeal to/attract/woo/target (North American English) swing voters/(British English) floating voters fix/rig/steal an election/the voteVoting go to/be turned away from (especially British English) a polling station/(North American English) a polling place cast a/your vote/ballot (for somebody) vote for the Conservative candidate/the Democratic party mark/spoil your ballot paper count (British English) the postal votes/(especially North American English) the absentee ballots go to/be defeated at the ballot box get/win/receive/lose votes get/win (60% of) the popular/black/Hispanic/Latino/Muslim vote win the election/(in the US) the primaries/a seat in Parliament/a majority/power lose an election/the vote/your majority/your seat win/come to power in a landslide (victory) (= with many more votes than any other party) elect/re-elect somebody (as) mayor/president/an MP/senator/congressman/congresswomanTaking power be sworn into office/in as president take/administer (in the US) the oath of office swear/take (in the UK) an/the oath of allegiance give/deliver (in the US) the president’s inaugural address take/enter/hold/leave office appoint somebody (as) ambassador/governor/judge/minister form a government/a cabinet serve two terms as prime minister/in office economy, politics see also absolute majority Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebig, huge, large, … verb + majoritycarry, command, have, … majority + noungovernment, rule, leader, … prepositionby a majority, majority against, majority in, … See full entry See related entries: Elections
- 3 [countable] (North American English) the difference between the number of votes given to the candidate who wins the election and the total number of votes of all the other candidates see also plurality Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebig, huge, large, … verb + majoritycarry, command, have, … majority + noungovernment, rule, leader, … prepositionby a majority, majority against, majority in, … See full entry
- 4[uncountable] (law) the age at which you are legally considered to be an adult The age of majority in Britain was reduced from 21 to 18 in 1970. Word Originmid 16th cent. (denoting superiority): from French majorité, from medieval Latin majoritas, from Latin major, comparative of magnus ‘great’.Extra examples English speakers form the majority of the population. He has a decisive majority over his main rivals. He joined the majority in criticizing the government’s reforms. If the Republicans want to build a majority, they need the north-east. In the general population, right-handed people are in the majority. In the vast majority of cases, customers get their money back. Latest opinion polls have a comfortable majority against the reform. Opinion polls indicated a two-thirds majority in favour of ratification of the treaty. Republicans increased their majority in both the House and the Senate. The French company holds a majority stake in the retail chain. The march was by the silent majority who oppose terrorism. They failed to win the requisite two-thirds majority. They won by a huge majority. To govern effectively, he will need a working majority in Congress. a majority in Parliament a majority in the Senate countries which have an English-speaking white majority the first Labour government with a clear working majority in the House
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BrE BrE//məˈdʒɒrəti//; NAmE NAmE//məˈdʒɔːrəti//, NAmE//məˈdʒɑːrəti//
(pl. majorities) Elections, Social justiceCheck pronunciation: majority
