caucus

1 of 2

noun

cau·cus ˈkȯ-kəs

: 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

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.

Noun

But members of Klein’s caucus have shown some resistance to legalizing sports betting in Minnesota. —

Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 27 Dec. 2024 Who communicates the best with young people in our whole caucus, by far? —

Hanna Trudo, The Hill, 22 Dec. 2024

Verb

Eleven senators who caucus with Democrats, as well as three Republicans, voted against the legislation. —

Eleanor Pringle, Fortune Asia, 19 Dec. 2024 Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats who won reelection Tuesday night, issued a scathing statement Wednesday afternoon about the Democrats' performance. —

Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for caucus