majority

majority
[[t]məʤɒ̱rɪti, AM -ʤɔ͟ːr-[/t]]
♦♦
majorities
1) N-SING-COLL: usu sing, usu N of n The majority of people or things in a group is more than half of them.

The majority of my patients come to me from out of town...

The vast majority of our cheeses are made with pasteurised milk...

As a fuel it is preferred by top chefs and is used in the majority of British homes...

Still, a majority continue to support the treaty.

Ant:
●
PHRASE: v-link PHR If a group is in a majority or in the majority, they form more than half of a larger group.

Surveys indicate that supporters of the treaty are still in the majority.

2) N-COUNT: usu with supp A majority is the difference between the number of votes or seats in parliament or legislature that the winner gets in an election, and the number of votes or seats that the next person or party gets.

Members of parliament approved the move by a majority of ninety-nine...

According to most opinion polls, he is set to win a clear majority in the elections on Sunday...

The Trust's annual meeting has decided by a narrow majority to ban deer hunting.

3) ADJ: ADJ n Majority is used to describe opinions, decisions, and systems of government that are supported by more than half the people involved.

...her continuing disagreement with the majority view...

A majority vote of 75% is required from shareholders for the plan to go ahead.

4) N-UNCOUNT: oft with poss Majority is the state of legally being an adult. In Britain and most states in the United States, people reach their majority at the age of eighteen.

The age of majority in Romania is eighteen...

Once you reach your majority, you may do what you damned well please.

5) → See also , moral majority

English dictionary. 2008.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат
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

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”