Major meaning of the word

Recent Examples on the Web

As is custom, most major outlets released their way-too-early top-25 rankings for the 2023-24 season within hours of the national championship game’s final buzzer.


—Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 5 Apr. 2023




To produce the festival Kelce partnered with Medium Rare, the company behind major pre-Super Bowl events like Shaq’s Fun House with Shaquille O’Neal, Gronk Beach with Rob Gronkowski, Sports Illustrated The Party and Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate with Guy Fieri.


—Mesfin Fekadu, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2023




The other major milestone in May is the completion of the construction of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, which was built primarily with the labor of Chinese immigrants.


—Shanon Maglente, Good Housekeeping, 4 Apr. 2023




With all the breathless reporting of a major event, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC broke into their midday newscasts to cover the mundane spectacle of former president Donald Trump … leaving his house and getting on an airplane.


—Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2023




As of Sunday, neither law enforcement officials nor outside experts have picked up evidence that Trump’s defenders or detractors are gearing up for a major event on a day when a man elected to the nation’s highest office will be booked in lower Manhattan.


—Alan Feuer, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Apr. 2023




One of the most interesting crypto story lines to emerge in 2023—though often overshadowed by the latest scandal du jour—is the reemergence of Hong Kong as a major player in the industry.


—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 3 Apr. 2023




The race between Porter, Schiff, and Lee, as well as any other candidate who hops in, will involve major political players and PACs, inviting new levels of scrutiny over more than a year of campaigning.


—Grace Segers, The New Republic, 3 Apr. 2023




Owen Bell, Hereford, senior, 126 pounds Bell finished a perfect 42-0, winning the Class 2A/1A state title without giving up a point and earning two falls, a technical fall and an 8-0 major decision win in the final.


—Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2023

The undergraduates are all premedical students scattered across various majors in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM.


—Maya Lora, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2023




White’s daughter, Lola, is a third-year biology major at New College with plans to be a veterinarian.


—Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2023




In other words, a ceramics major at college is probably out the window.


—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2023




As golf’s first major of the 2023 season rapidly approaches, we’re set to provide another pair of Masters predictions.


—Nick Hennion, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2023




Heshan de Silva-Weeramuni, Casey Fisher Casey Fisher Fisher is a 22-year-old from Sussex County, Delaware, and a fine arts major at Lesley University.


—Maddie Browning, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2023




Burke, a business major, was diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which caused her brain to hemorrhage, according to the fundraiser’s organizer, Jennifer Ritter.


—Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 14 Mar. 2023




Tivoli Treloar, a voice-performance major at U.C.L.A., radiated sophisticated sweetness as the Lover.


—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023




Foskey, a business-marketing major, also capitalized when NIL became permissible in July 2021, the summer before his junior season.


—Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Mar. 2023

Justin and Jayden both plan to major in business with an eye on starting in sports when their playing days are over.


—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2022




Steen, who intends to major in polymer engineering at Southern Mississippi, hopes the next level will include strong performances in the Class 2A regional and sectional and possibly a trip to the state meet.


—Darren Day, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2023




McWright planned to major in communication studies and become a television sports analyst.


—Dennis Romero, NBC News, 22 Oct. 2022




And what will major advertisers such as Apple and Amazon do?


—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 16 Dec. 2022




Ibrahimi was accepted to Kabul Medical University, to major in public health.


—Nabih Bulos, Chicago Tribune, 30 Nov. 2022




In 2020, according to public records, Mr. Aldrich attempted to enroll at Metro State University of Denver, a public university that offers online and in person classes, and intended to major in political science.


—Zusha Elinson, WSJ, 23 Nov. 2022




Ibrahimi was accepted to Kabul Medical University, to major in public health.


—Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2022




In college, Clooten intends to major in sports medicine with the hopes of becoming a physical therapist or chiropractor.


—Josh Reed, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Nov. 2022


See More

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• majour (obsolete)

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English major, from Latin maior, comparative of magnus (“great, large; noble, important”), from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂yōs (“greater”), comparative of *meǵh₂- (“great”). Compare West Frisian majoar (“major”), Dutch majoor (“major”), French majeur. Doublet of mayor.

Pronunciation[edit]

• enPR: mā’jə(r)
• IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪ.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -eɪd͡ʒə(ɹ)

Adjective[edit]

major (comparative more major, superlative most major)

1. (attributive):
   1. Greater in dignity, rank, importance, significance, or interest.
   2. Greater in number, quantity, or extent.

      the major part of the assembly

      Synonym: main

   3. Notable or conspicuous in effect or scope.

      Synonym: considerable

   4. Prominent or significant in size, amount, or degree.

      to earn some major cash

   5. (medicine) Involving great risk, serious, life-threatening.

      to suffer from a major illness

2. Of full legal age, having attained majority.

   major children

3. (education) Of or relating to a subject of academic study chosen as a field of specialization.
4. (music):
   1. (of a scale) Having intervals of a semitone between the third and fourth, and seventh and eighth degrees.

      major scale

   2. (of an interval) Equivalent to that between the tonic and another note of a major scale, and greater by a semitone than the corresponding minor interval.

      major third

      1. Having a major third above the root.

         major triad

   3. (postpositive) (of a key) Based on a major scale, tending to produce a bright or joyful effect.
   4. (campanology) Bell changes rung on eight bells.
5. (UK, dated) Indicating the elder of two brothers, appended to a surname in public schools.
6. (logic)
   1. (of a term) Occurring as the predicate in the conclusion of a categorical syllogism.
   2. (of a premise) Containing the major term in a categorical syllogism.

Antonyms[edit]

• minor

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

major (plural majors)

1. (military) A rank of officer in the army and the US air force, between captain and lieutenant colonel.

   He used to be a major in the army.

   1. An officer in charge of a section of band instruments, used with a modifier.

      Meronyms: drum major, trumpet major

2. A person of legal age.

   Antonym: minor

3. (music):
   1. Ellipsis of major key..
   2. Ellipsis of major interval..
   3. Ellipsis of major scale..
   4. (campanology) A system of change-ringing using eight bells.
4. A large, commercially successful company, especially a record label that is bigger than an indie.

   • 1997, Dominic Pride, “U.S. success caps global impact of XL’s prodigy”, in Billboard‎^[2], volume 109, number 30, page 86:

     At the end of last year, the band re-signed to XL for another three albums, despite being chased by majors that included Island, says manager Mike Champion of Midi Management.

5. (education, Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand) The principal subject or course of a student working toward a degree at a college or university.

   Midway through his second year of college, he still hadn’t chosen a major.

   Synonym: (UK) course

   1. A student at a college or university specializing on a given area of study.

      She is a math major.

6. (logic):
   1. Ellipsis of major term..
   2. Ellipsis of major premise..
7. (bridge) Ellipsis of major suit..
8. (Canadian football) A touchdown, or major score.
9. (Australian rules football) A goal.
10. (British slang, dated) An elder brother (especially at a public school).
11. (entomology) A large leaf-cutter ant that acts as a soldier, defending the nest.
12. (obsolete) Alternative form of mayor and mair.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

major (third-person singular simple present majors, present participle majoring, simple past and past participle majored)

1. (intransitive) Used in a phrasal verb: major in.

[edit]

• majorant

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

• “major”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “major”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams[edit]

• Jarmo, joram

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin maior.

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /məˈʒo/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /maˈd͡ʒoɾ/

Adjective[edit]

major (masculine and feminine plural majors)

1. larger (superlative: el major / la major—largest)
2. older (superlative: el major / la major—oldest)
3. main, principal
4. (music) major

Derived terms[edit]

• majorista
• majorment

[edit]

• majoria

Noun[edit]

major m (plural majors)

1. (military) major

Noun[edit]

major m or f (plural majors)

1. of age, adult

Further reading[edit]

• “major” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “major”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
• “major” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “major” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Czech[edit]

Noun[edit]

major m

1. major (military)

Declension[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• major in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• major in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

Estonian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from German Major, from Spanish, from Latin maior.

Noun[edit]

major (genitive majori, partitive majorit)

1. major (rank)

Declension[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

• kindralmajor

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Ultimately from Latin maior. Doublet of maire and majeur.

• (France): French military authorities created in 1972 the rank of major (non-commissioned officer), which can easily be confused with the rank of major (officer) used in many countries, creating problems when communicating with allied forces.
• (Canada): English major. From the British traditional army military rank structure.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ma.ʒɔʁ/

Noun[edit]

major m or f (plural majors)

1. (military, France) major, the upper rank of French non-commissioned officers
2. (military, Canada) major, the commissioned field officer rank

Coordinate terms[edit]

• capitaine de corvette (“capc”) (equivalent naval rank to the commissioned field officer rank)

Derived terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• “major”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Hungarian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Bavarian [Term?], compare Middle High German meier, Old High German meior, meiū̌r, standard German Meier (“administrator or leaseholder of a manor”); ultimately from Latin maior (“greater; leader”). The semantic shift from the person to the place is unclear; either via their identification, or by a clipping of a derivation like majorság, majorház, majorszoba.^[1] The German equivalent terms for the place are Meierhof and Meierei (“feudal manor”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɒjor]
• Hyphenation: ma‧jor
• Rhymes: -or

Noun[edit]

major (plural majorok)

1. farm

Declension[edit]

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	major	majorok
accusative	majort	majorokat
dative	majornak	majoroknak
instrumental	majorral	majorokkal
causal-final	majorért	majorokért
translative	majorrá	majorokká
terminative	majorig	majorokig
essive-formal	majorként	majorokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	majorban	majorokban
superessive	majoron	majorokon
adessive	majornál	majoroknál
illative	majorba	majorokba
sublative	majorra	majorokra
allative	majorhoz	majorokhoz
elative	majorból	majorokból
delative	majorról	majorokról
ablative	majortól	majoroktól
non-attributive possessive — singular	majoré	majoroké
non-attributive possessive — plural	majoréi	majorokéi

Possessive forms of major
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	majorom	majorjaim
2nd person sing.	majorod	majorjaid
3rd person sing.	majorja	majorjai
1st person plural	majorunk	majorjaink
2nd person plural	majorotok	majorjaitok
3rd person plural	majorjuk	majorjaik

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• (farm): major in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• ([archaic] major [military rank]): major , redirecting to its synonym őrnagy in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Interlingua[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /maˈʒor/

Adjective[edit]

major (not comparable)

1. (comparative degree of grande) bigger

Latin[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈmai̯.i̯or/, [ˈmäi̯ːɔr]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈma.jor/, [ˈmäːjor]

Adjective[edit]

major (neuter majus, positive magnus); third declension

1. Alternative spelling of maior.

Inflection[edit]

Third-declension comparative adjective.

Number	Singular		Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter	Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	major	majus		majōrēs	majōra
Genitive	majōris	majōrum
Dative	majōrī	majōribus
Accusative	majōrem	majus	majōrēs	majōra
Ablative	majōre	majōribus
Vocative	major	majus	majōrēs	majōra

References[edit]

• “major”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• major in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Polish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from German Major, from Latin māior. Doublet of mer (“mayor”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.jɔr/
• Rhymes: -ajɔr
• Syllabification: ma‧jor

Noun[edit]

major m pers (abbreviation mjr)

1. major (military rank)

Declension[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• major in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• major in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin maior. Doublet of maior.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

major m (plural majores)

1. (military) major (military rank)

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From French majeur, from Latin maior. Doublet of maior and possibly mare.

Adjective[edit]

major m or n (feminine singular majoră, masculine plural majori, feminine and neuter plural majore)

1. major (significant)

Declension[edit]

Serbo-Croatian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From German Major, from Latin māior.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /mǎjoːr/
• Hyphenation: ma‧jor

Noun[edit]

màjōr m (Cyrillic spelling ма̀јо̄р)

1. (military, Serbo-Croatian, Serbo-Croatian) major (rank)

Declension[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

• (Serbo-Croatian): bojnik
• tisućnik

Swedish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

major c

1. a major^[1]
2. a Squadron Leader^[1] (in the British Royal Air Force)

Declension[edit]

Declension of major
	Singular	Plural
Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	major	majoren	majorer	majorerna
Genitive	majors	majorens	majorers	majorernas

References[edit]

Britannica Dictionary definition of MAJOR

Britannica Dictionary definition of MAJOR

[count]

Britannica Dictionary definition of MAJOR

ma·jor

 (mā′jər)

adj.

1. Greater than others in importance or rank: a major artist.

2. Great in scope or effect: a major improvement.

3. Great in number, size, or extent: the major portion of the population.

4. Requiring great attention or concern; very serious: a major illness.

5. Law Legally recognized as having reached the age of adulthood.

6. Of or relating to the field of academic study in which a student specializes.

7. Music

a. Designating a scale or mode having half steps between the third and fourth and the seventh and eighth degrees.

b. Equivalent to the distance between the tonic note and the second or third or sixth or seventh degrees of a major scale or mode: a major interval.

c. Based on a major scale: a major key.

n.

1.

a. A commissioned rank in the US Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps that is above captain and below lieutenant colonel.

b. One who holds this rank.

2. One that is superior in rank, importance, or ability: an oil-producing country considered as one of the majors.

3. Law One recognized by the law as having reached the age of adulthood.

4.

a. A field of study chosen as an academic specialty.

b. A student specializing in such studies: a linguistics major.

5. Logic

a. A major premise.

b. A major term.

6. Music

a. A major scale, key, interval, or mode.

b. A chord containing a major third between the first and second notes and a minor third between the second and third notes.

7. majors Sports The major leagues.

intr.v. ma·jored, ma·jor·ing, ma·jors

To pursue academic studies in a major: majoring in mathematics.

---

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

major

(ˈmeɪdʒə)

n

1. (Military) military an officer immediately junior to a lieutenant colonel

2. a person who is superior in a group or class

3. (Commerce) a large or important company: the oil majors.

4. a large or important company: the oil majors.

5. (Music, other) (often preceded by the) music a major key, chord, mode, or scale

6. (Education)

a. the principal field of study of a student at a university, etc: his major is sociology.

b. a student who is studying a particular subject as his principal field: a sociology major.

7. (Law) a person who has reached the age of legal majority

8. (Logic) logic a major term or premise

9. (Film) a principal or important record company, film company, etc

10. (General Sporting Terms) the majors (plural) US and Canadian the major leagues

adj

11. larger in extent, number, etc: the major part.

12. of greater importance or priority

13. very serious or significant: a major disaster.

14. main, chief, or principal

15. of, involving, or making up a majority

16. (Music, other) music

a. (of a scale or mode) having notes separated by the interval of a whole tone, except for the third and fourth degrees, and seventh and eighth degrees, which are separated by a semitone

b. relating to or employing notes from the major scale: a major key.

c. (postpositive) denoting a specified key or scale as being major: C major.

d. denoting a chord or triad having a major third above the root

e. (in jazz) denoting a major chord with a major seventh added above the root

17. (Logic) logic constituting the major term or major premise of a syllogism

18. (Education) chiefly US and Canadian and Austral and NZ of or relating to a student’s principal field of study at a university, etc

19. (Education) archaic Brit the elder: used after a schoolboy’s surname if he has one or more younger brothers in the same school: Price major.

20. (Law) of full legal age

21. (Music, other) (postpositive) bell-ringing of, relating to, or denoting a method rung on eight bells

vb

22. (Education) (usually foll by: in) US and Canadian and Austral and NZ to do one’s principal study (in a particular subject): to major in English literature.

23. (usually foll by: on) to take or deal with as the main area of interest: the book majors on the peasant dishes.

[C15 (adj): from Latin, comparative of magnus great; C17 (n, in military sense): from French, short for sergeant major]

ˈmajorship n

---

Major

(ˈmeɪdʒə)

n

(Biography) Sir John. born 1943, British Conservative politician: Chancellor of the Exchequer (1989–90); prime minister (1990–97)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ma•jor

(ˈmeɪ dʒər)

n.

1. a commissioned military officer ranking below a lieutenant colonel and above a captain.

2. one of superior rank, ability, or power in a specified class.

3.

a. field of study in which a student specializes.

b. a student specializing in such a field: a history major.

4. a person of full legal age.

5. a major musical interval, chord, or scale.

6. the majors, the major leagues.

adj.

7. greater in size, extent, or amount: a major part.

8. greater in rank or importance: a major talent.

9. of great risk; serious: a major operation.

10. of or pertaining to a majority.

11. of full legal age.

12. Music.

a. (of an interval) being between the tonic and the second, third, sixth, or seventh degrees of a major scale: a major third.

b. (of a chord) having a major third between the root and the note next above it.

c. based on a major scale: a major key.

13. pertaining to the subject in which a student specializes.

v.i.

14. to follow an academic major: majoring in physics.

[1350–1400; < Anglo-French < Latin major, comp. of magnus large (compare majesty)]

Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

major

Past participle: majored
Gerund: majoring

Imperative
major
major

Present
I major
you major
he/she/it majors
we major
you major
they major

Preterite
I majored
you majored
he/she/it majored
we majored
you majored
they majored

Present Continuous
I am majoring
you are majoring
he/she/it is majoring
we are majoring
you are majoring
they are majoring

Present Perfect
I have majored
you have majored
he/she/it has majored
we have majored
you have majored
they have majored

Past Continuous
I was majoring
you were majoring
he/she/it was majoring
we were majoring
you were majoring
they were majoring

Past Perfect
I had majored
you had majored
he/she/it had majored
we had majored
you had majored
they had majored

Future
I will major
you will major
he/she/it will major
we will major
you will major
they will major

Future Perfect
I will have majored
you will have majored
he/she/it will have majored
we will have majored
you will have majored
they will have majored

Future Continuous
I will be majoring
you will be majoring
he/she/it will be majoring
we will be majoring
you will be majoring
they will be majoring

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been majoring
you have been majoring
he/she/it has been majoring
we have been majoring
you have been majoring
they have been majoring

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been majoring
you will have been majoring
he/she/it will have been majoring
we will have been majoring
you will have been majoring
they will have been majoring

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been majoring
you had been majoring
he/she/it had been majoring
we had been majoring
you had been majoring
they had been majoring

Conditional
I would major
you would major
he/she/it would major
we would major
you would major
they would major

Past Conditional
I would have majored
you would have majored
he/she/it would have majored
we would have majored
you would have majored
they would have majored

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

major

A field of study that a student specializes in, or a student that is specializing in a particular field. To major in something is to study it as a specialty.

Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited

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