MAJORITY | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of majority in English majoritynoun uk /məˈdʒɒr.ə.ti/ us /məˈdʒɔː.rə.t̬i/

majority noun (NUMBER)

Add to word list Add to word list B2 [ S ] the larger number or part of something: The majority of the employees have university degrees. A large majority of people approve of the death sentence. In Britain women are in the/a majority. Compare minority (SMALL PART) [ C ] in an election, the difference in the number of votes between the winning person or group and the one that comes second: The Democratic candidate won by a narrow/large majority.

• The majority of young professionals in the capital have moved there from provincial towns.
• In the past, the majority of women were consigned to a lifetime of servitude and poverty.
• The majority of people in the town strongly support the plans to build a by-pass.
• A couple of people objected to the proposal, but the vast majority approved of it.
• A large majority of the population is demanding the restoration of the former government.

Maximum and minimum

• (at) full steam idiom
• (at) full stretch idiom
• at capacity
• at least idiom
• bare
• credit limit
• full credit
• full marks
• give a hundred percent idiom
• great majority
• live something to the full
• load-bearing
• max
• max out phrasal verb
• maximal
• peak
• percent
• submaximal
• the full monty
• utmost

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Elections

majority noun (AGE)

[ U ]   law   specialized the age when you legally become an adult: the age of majority She will inherit her father's estate when she reaches her majority. Stages of life

• adolescence
• adult life
• adulthood
• adultification
• adultify
• boyhood
• childhood
• come of age idiom
• coming of age
• day
• glory days
• golden age
• healthspan
• heyday
• in infancy
• preadolescence
• prime
• rite of passage
• salad
• schooldays

See more results » (Definition of majority from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

majority | American Dictionary

majoritynoun [ U ] us /məˈdʒɔr·ɪ·t̬i, -ˈdʒɑr-/ Add to word list Add to word list more than half of a total number or amount; the larger part of something: A majority of the people voted against the bill to raise school taxes. politics & government A majority is also the difference in the number of votes in an election between the winning person or group and the one that has the second highest number: [ C ] The Republicans won by a small majority. (Definition of majority from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

majority | Business English

majoritynoun uk /məˈdʒɒrəti/ us plural majorities Add to word list Add to word list [ S ] most of the people or things in a group: The majority of our prepayment customers are people on a low income. Improved economic conditions for the majority have led to big increases in ownership of consumer goods, cars, houses, and clothing.vast/overwhelming/great majority (of sth) The vast majority of tickets are sold through the website.be in a/the majority Men are still in the majority when it comes to senior management positions. [ C ] the difference between the number of votes received by a political party, group, etc. that wins an election or discussion and the parties or groups that lose: The amendment has divided Democrats and could cost the party its newly won majority. majority voting/a majority voteby a majority of sth to sth A recent poll found that voters were in favor of the resolution by a majority of 71% to 24%. clear/comfortable/large majority The chairman must continue taking votes until one nominee has a clear majority. [ U ]   LAW the age at which someone is legally considered to be an adult: someone's majority She will inherit the business when she reaches her majority.

See also

early majority late majority majorityadjective [ before noun ] uk /məˈdʒɒrəti/ us FINANCE, STOCK MARKET used to refer to the situation when a person or organization owns more shares in a company than any other shareholder, and enough to be in control of the company: According to government requirements, the airline must not fall into foreign majority control. The group's majority shareholder has been accused of withholding financial data. Profits have soared, thanks in part to the company's majority ownership of the country's most successful newspaper group. (Definition of majority from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of majority

majority Both had been returned by huge majorities, having long been out of office. From the Cambridge English Corpus Huge majorities apparently prefer reducing unemployment to fighting inflation. From the Cambridge English Corpus In the economic sphere, the global capitalist system offers a more or less circumscribed place to the wage-earning majorities in most countries. From the Cambridge English Corpus The representational parliamentary systems, by contrast, experienced considerable problems with both stability and effective majorities. From the Cambridge English Corpus He needed 'temporary' conservatives to build his majorities. From the Cambridge English Corpus The indirect effects may be seen as a matter of making real-world majorities more authentic. From the Cambridge English Corpus Substantial majorities believe that it is necessary to increase spending in order to improve the services. From the Cambridge English Corpus On the other hand, because the parliamentary majorities of the coalitions have not been large, small regional parties can wreak havoc. From the Cambridge English Corpus American majorities have opposed emissions rights trading, as allowing rich countries to sidestep emissions reduction. From the Cambridge English Corpus The success of promoters in securing state-level majorities is further evidence of strong popular support for public spending on improvements. From the Cambridge English Corpus By 1938, most of their majorities had evaporated. From the Cambridge English Corpus Although alternatives were proposed, most requiring lesser majorities, for varying reasons delegates found the two-thirds rule comfortable. From the Cambridge English Corpus Majorities of losers were supportive of proportional representation, while majorities of winners were opposed. From the Cambridge English Corpus They needed to dispel much more state patronage in order to keep their electoral majorities. From the Cambridge English Corpus Nevertheless, a smaller subset of the human community that objects to some or all of these uses raises significant ethical questions about the majority's actions. From the Cambridge English Corpus See all examples of majority These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with majority

majority

These are words often used in combination with majority.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

bare majorityThe party's parliamentary seats plunged even more spectacularly from a bare majority of 151 at dissolution (of 295 seats) to just two. From the Cambridge English Corpus   clear majorityA clear majority said that opportunities still existed for learning progression (75%) and in achieving a sensible coverage of the curriculum (85%). From the Cambridge English Corpus   conservative majorityPrussia used a highly restrictive three-class voting system in which the richest third of the population could choose 85% of the legislature, all but assuring a conservative majority. From Wikipedia This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.   These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. See all collocations with majority What is the pronunciation of majority?

Translations of majority

in Chinese (Traditional) 數目, 大多數，大部分, 多數票（選舉中勝者與第二名之間的選票差額）… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 数目, 大多数，大部分, 多数票（选举中胜者与第二名之间的选票差额）… See more in Spanish mayoría, mayoría [feminine, singular]… See more in Portuguese maioria, maioria [feminine]… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian बहुसंख्य, बहुमत… See more 大多数, 大多数（だいたすう）, 得票差（とくひょうさ）… See more çoğunluk, ekseriyet, oy çokluğu… See more majorité [feminine], majorité… See more majoria… See more meerderheid… See more எண்ணிக்கையில் பெரியது அல்லது ஏதோ ஒன்றின் ஒரு பகுதி, ஒரு தேர்தலில், வெற்றி பெற்ற நபர் அல்லது குழு மற்றும் இரண்டாவது இடத்தில் வரும் வாக்குகளின் எண்ணிக்கையில் உள்ள வேறுபாடு… See more बहुमत, बड़ी संख्या या किसी चीज का भाग… See more બહુમતી, મોટી સંખ્યા અથવા કોઈ વસ્તુનો ભાગ, બહુમતી ચૂંટણીમાં… See more flertal, majoritet… See more majoritet, röstövervikt… See more majoriti, beza… See more die Mehrheit… See more flertall [neuter], majoritet [masculine], flertall… See more اکثریت, انتخابات میں ووٹوں کی تعداد کا فرق… See more більшість… See more ప్రధాన భాగం/ఎక్కువ భాగం, పెద్ద సంఖ్య లేదా భాగం కలిగి ఉన్న ఏదైనా ఒక విషయం, ఆధిక్యత /ఆధిపత్యం… See more সংখ্যাগরিষ্ঠ, সংখ্যাগরিষ্ঠতা… See more většina… See more mayoritas, selisih… See more ส่วนใหญ่, เสียงข้างมาก… See more đa số, được đa số phiếu… See more większość, przewaga głosów… See more 다수… See more maggioranza… See more Need a translator?

Get a quick, free translation!

Translator tool

Browse

major third Majorca majordomo majorette majority majority interest majority leader majority ownership majority rule {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of majority

• early majority
• great majority
• late majority
• majority-owned
• majority rule
• majority stake
• moral majority

See all meanings

Word of the Day

retrospective

UK /ˌret.rəˈspek.tɪv/ US /ˌret.rəˈspek.tɪv/

relating to or thinking about the past

About this

Blog

Red-hot and roasting: words for describing things that are hot.

December 24, 2025 Read More

New Words

frost-jacking December 29, 2026 More new words has been added to list To top AI Assistant Contents EnglishAmericanBusinessExamplesCollocationsTranslations AI Assistant {{#displayLoginPopup}} Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Sign up for free and get access to exclusive content: Free word lists and quizzes from Cambridge Tools to create your own word lists and quizzes Word lists shared by our community of dictionary fans Sign up now or Log in Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Create word lists and quizzes for free Sign up now or Log in {{/displayLoginPopup}} {{#displayClassicSurvey}} {{/displayClassicSurvey}}

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
• My profile
• +Plus help
• Log out

AI Assistant Dictionary Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English Translations Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English English–Danish Danish–English English–Dutch Dutch–English English–French French–English English–German German–English English–Indonesian Indonesian–English English–Italian Italian–English English–Japanese Japanese–English English–Norwegian Norwegian–English English–Polish Polish–English English–Portuguese Portuguese–English English–Spanish Spanish–English English–Swedish Swedish–English Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese Translate Grammar Thesaurus Pronunciation Cambridge Dictionary +Plus Games {{userName}}

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
• My profile
• +Plus help
• Log out

Log in / Sign up English (UK) Change English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Follow us Choose a dictionary

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• Translation Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries
  • English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
  • English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
  • English–Danish Danish–English
  • English–Dutch Dutch–English
  • English–French French–English
  • English–German German–English
  • English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
  • English–Italian Italian–English
  • English–Japanese Japanese–English
  • English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
  • English–Polish Polish–English
  • English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
  • English–Spanish Spanish–English
  • English–Swedish Swedish–English
  Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists

Choose your language English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Contents

• English   
  • Noun 
    • majority (NUMBER)
    • majority (AGE)
• American   Noun
• Business   NounAdjective
• Examples
• Collocations

• Translations
• Grammar
• All translations

My word lists

To add majority to a word list please sign up or log in.

Sign up or Log in My word lists

Add majority to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{name}} More Go to your word lists {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} Tell us about this example sentence: The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}}