majority
[noun]
Synonyms:
- preponderance, best part, bulk, greater number, mass, most
- adulthood, manhood or womanhood, maturity, seniority

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

ma‧jor‧i‧ty S2 W1 AC /məˈdʒɒrəti, məˈdʒɒrɪti $ məˈdʒɔː-, məˈdʒɑː-/ noun (plural majorities)
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: majorité, from Latin major; ⇒ major¹]

1. MOST PEOPLE OR THINGS [singular, also + plural verb] most of the people or things in a group Antonym : minority
majority of
The majority of workers find it quite hard to live on the amount of money they earn.
great/vast/overwhelming majority of something (=almost all of a group)
In the vast majority of cases the disease is fatal.
be in the majority (=form the largest group)
In this city, Muslims are in the majority. ⇒ silent majority
GRAMMAR
When using majority before 'of' and a plural noun, use a plural verb after it:
The vast majority of patients are elderly.

REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say most (of) rather than the majority of:
Most workers find it hard to live on the money they earn.
Most of us agreed with him.

2. MOST VOTES [countable] if one person or group wins a majority in an election, they win more votes than other people or groups
majority of 50/100 etc
He won by a majority of 500.
The Labour Party won a huge majority at the last general election.
clear/overall/absolute majority (=a situation in which one party wins more votes in an election than all the other parties)
The party won an absolute majority in Portugal in 1987.
small/narrow majority
The government gained only a narrow majority, with 151 votes against 144.
Labour/Conservative etc majority
The Labour majority was reduced to just 15 seats at the last election.

3. majority vote/decision/verdict etc a vote or decision in which more people vote for something than vote against it:
The committee takes decisions by majority vote.
The jury found him guilty by a majority verdict.

4. majority stake/shareholding etc when one person or group owns a bigger share of a company than other people or groups and so is able to control what happens to the company:
Alex Golding held a majority shareholding in Golding plc.

5. BECOMING AN ADULT [uncountable] British English law the age when someone legally becomes an adult Antonym : minority
reach majority/the age of majority
He became a partner in the family firm on reaching his majority.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

majority
noun
I. most
ADJ. big, great, huge, overwhelming, substantial, vast | silent The march was by the silent majority who oppose terrorism.
VERB + MAJORITY comprise, constitute, form, make up English speakers form the majority of the population.
MAJORITY + NOUN culture, group, population | opinion, view | shareholder | stake The French company holds a majority stake in the retail chain.
PREP. in the ~ In the general population, right-handed people are in the majority.
PHRASES in the majority of cases In the vast majority of cases, customers get their money back.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

majority
II. in an election
ADJ. handsome, huge, large, massive, overwhelming, substantial | clear, comfortable, decisive | bare, narrow, slender, slight, slim, small, tiny, wafer-thin | ten-seat, three-to-one, two-thirds, etc. | absolute, outright, overall Although they are the biggest single party, they don't have an outright majority.
simple | decreased, increased | working the first Labour government with a clear working majority in the House
parliamentary | government | Conservative, Labour, etc. | necessary, requisite
VERB + MAJORITY command, have | achieve, gain, get, secure, win They failed to win the requisite two-thirds majority.
defend, maintain, retain | lose | overturn | indicate, show
MAJORITY + NOUN government, rule | party | decision | vote, voting | support
PREP. by a ~ They won by a huge majority.
~ against Latest opinion polls have a comfortable majority against the reform.
~ in a majority in Parliament
~ in favour of Opinion polls indicated a two-thirds majority in favour of ratification of the treaty.
~ over He has a decisive majority over his main rivals.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

majority

have/hold a majority
The Democratic party has a majority in the Senate.
win a majority
The Conservative Party won a large majority.
secure a majority (=win a majority)
They failed to secure a majority.
get/gain/receive a majority
If no one gets an overall majority, the vote is repeated.
command a majority (=have a majority)
They were one seat short of being able to command a majority in parliament.
increase a majority (=get more votes than you had before)
Labour increased its majority in the area.
lose a majority
The Republicans lost their narrow majority in Congress at the midterm elections.
retain a majority formal (=keep a majority)
They were able to retain an absolute majority of seats.
defend a majority (=try not to lose it)
He is defending a majority of 400 against his Labour opponent.
overturn a majority (=win a majority that previously belonged to someone else)
She hoped to overturn a Tory majority of 2,221.
a large majority
Parliament voted by a large majority in favour of the ban.
a huge majority (=a very big majority)
Gone are the days of huge majorities and easy victories.
a small majority
Their small majority made them worried about winning the next election.
a slim/narrow majority (=a very small majority)
The proposal was passed by a slim majority.
an overall majority (=more votes than anyone else)
What happens if no candidate receives an overall majority?
an overwhelming majority (=a large majority)
The resolution was passed by an overwhelming majority.
an absolute/outright/clear majority (=a majority that has been won by more than half the votes)
There was no party with an absolute majority in the House of Commons.
a simple majority (=a majority that has been won by most of the votes)
A simple majority of the people at the meeting were in favour of the changes.
a two-thirds/2:1/three to one etc majority
A two-thirds majority in both Houses of Congress is needed to overturn a presidential veto.
a Labour/Democratic/Tory etc majority
Republican majorities were elected in both Houses of Congress that year.
a parliamentary majority (=one that has enough seats in parliament to control it)
Labour increased its parliamentary majority.
a majority vote
The majority vote carries the resolution.
the majority party (=the party with the most seats in a parliament)
At that time, Labour was the majority party in Parliament.
majority support (=votes or support given by the most number of people)
a solution that will command majority support in the House

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

majority
noun
1.
DUBIOUS: The majority of houses in Germany have fitted carpets.
GOOD: Most houses in Germany have fitted carpets.

Usage Note:
The majority of (= more than half) is usually used in formal styles: 'The majority of the government voted against the bill.'
In other styles most (= nearly all) usually sounds more natural: 'Most people have never even heard of him.'

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2.
BAD: The majority of motorists is opposed to the scheme.
GOOD: The majority of motorists are opposed to the scheme.

Usage Note:
the majority + singular/plural verb: 'The majority is/are in favour of abolishing the death penalty.'
the majority of + plural count noun + plural verb: 'The majority of voters are in favour of abolishing the death penalty.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲