caucus

1 of 2

noun

cau·​cus ˈkȯ-kəs How to pronounce caucus (audio)
: a closed meeting of a group of persons belonging to the same political party or faction usually to select candidates or to decide on policy
a presidential caucus
also : a group of people united to promote an agreed-upon cause

caucus

2 of 2

verb

caucused; caucusing; caucuses

intransitive verb

: to meet in or hold a caucus
The committee caucused to select the most promising candidates.

Did you know?

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact origins of caucus, but some scholars think the word may have developed from an Algonquian term for a group of elders, leaders, or advisers. An early example of the word in use comes from John Adams, who in February of 1763 reported that the Boston “caucus club,” a group of politically active city elders, would soon meet and that, at the meetings, those present would “smoke tobacco till you [could not] see from one end of the garret to the other.” A similarly opaque smoke screen seems to cloud the history of caucus to this day.

Examples of caucus in a Sentence

Noun the National Women's Political Caucus Verb Democrats caucused last week to choose their candidates.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Bill Baker, a Republican who once represented Contra Costa County in the Assembly, was the point person for the GOP caucus on the state budget at the time, and their disagreements were sharp. James Richardson, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024 Earlier this year, New York Rep. Ritchie Torres also left the caucus after disagreeing with the group on the war in Israel, while Florida Rep. Lois Frankel left last year over similar reasons, Axios reported. Emma Colton, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2024 Still, most members of the Democratic caucus voted last month to send billions more in aid to Israel — the world’s largest cumulative recipient of U.S. aid. Mikhail Klimentov, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 The last woman standing, his former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, dropped out of the race after Super Tuesday, after winning the Vermont primary and the Washington, D.C. caucus. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 In the Hawaii caucus, 19 delegates are up for grabs. Hunter Woodall, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024 The caucus started helping candidates with mentoring and the backing to raise cash — even from skeptical donors who were still more comfortable with cigars than children. Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Some states do have separate dates for party primaries or caucuses, but that's not the case in Wisconsin. Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 Trump won the North Dakota caucuses on Monday, in a warm-up for Super Tuesday. Katie Glueck Michelle Gustafson, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
In the primaries and caucuses Buchanan got less than a fourth of the votes and won no states. Ron Elving, NPR, 3 Mar. 2024 Iowa caucuses: The first-in-the-nation Republican presidential primary is just a few days away. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 12 Jan. 2024 Senate Democrats this cycle are defending 23 seats, including three held by independents who caucus with Democrats. Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 Only eight states planned to hold primaries or caucuses a year prior on Feb. 5, 2008: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, and West Virginia. USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 That's because of the non-competitive nature of the current Democratic presidential field and the rapidly winnowing Republican field, coupled with the somewhat convoluted dueling contests that have made the results of the GOP primary and caucuses even more predictable. Soo Rin Kim, ABC News, 6 Feb. 2024 Missouri Republican caucuses The Missouri Republican Party chooses its delegates to send to the Republican National Convention through a caucus system. Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 2 Feb. 2024 While both primaries and caucuses award delegates to candidates, the caucuses work differently than primaries. Caucuses, like primaries, can have rules that vary by state and party. Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2024 That falls short of the 20% to 30% of Republicans who caucused in recent years, experts say. Javier Zarracina, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'caucus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1800, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1808, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of caucus was in 1800

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Dictionary Entries Near caucus

Cite this Entry

“Caucus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caucus. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

caucus

noun
cau·​cus
ˈkȯ-kəs
: a closed meeting of members of a political party or faction usually to select candidates or decide policy
caucus verb

Legal Definition

caucus

noun
cau·​cus ˈkȯ-kəs How to pronounce caucus (audio)
: a closed meeting of a group of persons belonging to the same political party or faction usually to select candidates or to decide on policy
caucus intransitive verb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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