major party

noun

: a political party having electoral strength sufficient to permit it to win control of a government usually with comparative regularity and when defeated to constitute the principal opposition to the party in power

Examples of major party in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Earle-Sears is the first black woman to receive a major party nomination for Virginia governor. Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 7 Apr. 2025 The moves show the kind of impact the AfD are having on the campaign and major parties. Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025 The new government will be a coalition of all the island’s major parties except one — the Naleraq party, which has the closest connections to Mr. Trump. Maya Tekeli, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025 Canada’s major parties will now begin campaigning as Carney will go head-to-head with the Conservative Party’s Pierre Poilievre, Bloc Québécois’ Yves-François Blanchet and the New Democratic Party’s Jagmeet Singh. Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for major party

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of major party was in 1950

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Cite this Entry

“Major party.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/major%20party. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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