majority

majority
n.
number greater than half

(AE);

greater number

(BE)

1) to get, receive a majority

2) to have, hold a majority (the Democrats have a slim majority in the House)

3) a bare, narrow, slim, small; clear; large; overwhelming, vast majority

4) an absolute majority (BE; AE has majority)

5) a relative majority (BE; AE has plurality)

6) a simple; two-thirds; working majority

7) the silent majority (i.e., those who have moderate or conservative views but do not voice them)

8) by a majority (to win by an overwhelming majority)

9) in a majority (in the majority of cases)

full legal age

10) to attain, reach one's majority

USAGE NOTE: Compare the verbs in the following constructions--the majority of the (two hundred) votes were for peace; a majority of two hundred votes was enough to win.
* * *
[mə'dʒɒrɪtɪ]
clear
narrow
overwhelming
receive a majority
slim
small
two-thirds
vast majority
working majority
reach one's majority (USAGE NOTE: Compare the verbs in the following constructions: the majority of the (two hundred) votes were for peace; a majority of two hundred votes was enough to win.)
hold a majority (the Democrats have a slim majority in the House)
['full legal age'] to attain
['greater number'] (BE) to get
a bare
a simple
to have
an absolute majority (BE; AE has majority)
a relative majority (BE; AE has plurality)
the silent majority (i. e., those who have moderate or conservative views but do not voice them)
in a majority (in the majority of cases)
by a majority (to win by an overwhelming majority)

Combinatory dictionary. 2013.

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Synonyms:
, / , /


Look at other dictionaries:

  • majority — We are concerned here with three related uses, two of them relatively straightforward and one that gives rise to a difficulty: 1. majority = ‘a superiority in numbers’, especially in political contexts, ‘the amount by which a winning vote exceeds …   Modern English usage

  • majority — ma·jor·i·ty /mə jȯr ə tē/ n pl ties 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 plu …   Law dictionary

  • Majority — • The state of a person or thing greater, or superior, in relation to another person or thing Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Majority     Majority      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Majority — Ma*jor i*ty, n.; pl. {Majorities}. [F. majorit[ e]. See {Major}.] 1. The quality or condition of being major or greater; superiority. Specifically: (a) The military rank of a major. (b) The condition of being of full age, or authorized by law to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • majority — majority, plurality are arbitrarily defined in the United States, especially by statute, when they refer to an excess of votes as determining an election. Both imply an excess of votes over the next highest candidate. The distinction between the… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • majority — ► NOUN (pl. majorities) 1) the greater number. 2) Brit. the number by which the votes cast for one party or candidate exceed those for the next. 3) the age when a person is legally considered a full adult, usually 18 or 21. USAGE Strictly… …   English terms dictionary

  • majority — (n.) 1550s, condition of being greater, superiority, from M.Fr. majorité (16c.), from M.L. majoritatem (nom. majoritas) majority, from L. maior greater (see MAJOR (Cf. major) (adj.)). Sense of state of being of full age is attested from 1560s;… …   Etymology dictionary

  • majority — [n1] plurality, most best part*, bulk, greater number, greater part, larger part, lion’s share*, mass, max*, more, more than half*, preponderance, superiority; concepts 766,829,835 Ant. minority, secondary majority [n2] adulthood age of consent,… …   New thesaurus

  • majority — [mə jôr′ə tē, məjär′ə tē] n. pl. majorities [Fr majorité < ML majoritas < L major: see MAJOR] 1. [also with pl. v.] the greater part or larger number; more than half of a total ☆ 2. the number by which the votes cast for the candidate, bill …   English World dictionary

  • Majority — This article is about the mathematical concept of majority. For other uses, see Majority (disambiguation). A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset… …   Wikipedia

  • majority — ▪ I. majority ma‧jor‧i‧ty 1 [məˈdʒɒrti ǁ məˈdʒɔː , məˈdʒɑː ] noun majorities PLURALFORM 1. [singular] most of the people or things in a particular group: • Some franchisees quit, but the majority are still hanging on. majority of …   Financial and business terms

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