major
a commissioned military officer ranking next below a lieutenant colonel and next above a captain.
one of superior rank, ability, etc., in a specified class.
Education.
a subject or field of study chosen by a student to represent their principal interest and upon which a large share of their efforts are concentrated: History was my major in college.
a student engaged in such study.
a person of full legal age (opposed to minor).
Music. a major interval, chord, scale, etc.
the majors,
Sports. the major leagues: He coached in the majors as well as in the minors.
the companies or organizations that lead or control a particular field of activity: the oil majors.
greater in size, extent, or importance: the major part of the town.
great, as in rank or importance: a major political issue;a major artist.
serious or risky: a major operation.
of or relating to the majority: the major opinion.
of full legal age.
Music.
(of an interval) being between the tonic and the second, third, sixth, or seventh degrees of a major scale: a major third;a major sixth.
(of a chord) having a major third between the root and the note next above it.
pertaining to the subject in which a student takes the most courses: Her major field is English history.
(initial capital letter) (of one of two male students in an English public school who have the same surname) being the elder or higher in standing: Hobbes Major is not of a scientific bent.
to follow a major course of study: He is majoring in physics.
Origin of major
1synonym study For major
Other definitions for Major (2 of 2)
Clarence, born 1936, U.S. novelist and poet.
John, born 1943, British political leader: prime minister 1990–97.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use major in a sentence
He majored in mathematical physics, studying mind-bending theories of quantum mechanics and partial differential equations.
She did indeed go to Harvard, where she majored in English and delighted in reading Chaucer in Old English.
For Next AG, Obama Picks a Quiet Fighter With a Heavy Punch | Michael Daly | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOn your Wikipedia page, it said that in college you majored in theater and "blazing it."
‘Surviving Jack’ Star Rachael Harris Is No Longer ‘The Bitch' | Kevin Fallon | March 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn college, I majored in Creative Writing and French, which my father referred to as Starvation and Poverty.
He majored in Chinese at the University of Michigan and moved to New York in the early 1960s, working for Time-Life Books.
She was Anne Weeks, a slender, dark-haired girl of 25 who had attended the state university and majored in dramatics.
Helen in the Editor's Chair | Ruthe S. WheelerYou told us before that you held a bachelor degree from Oklahoma University and that you majored in economics?
Warren Commission (9 of 26): Hearings Vol. IX (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President KennedyWe've all majored in English except Jack, and I'll bet any one of us can give the others an exam offhand that they can't pass.
The Plastic Age | Percy Marks"Why, I majored in philosophy in college," said Parker, hesitatingly.
Susan had majored in ionic chemistry and had graduated with high honors.
Be It Ever Thus | Robert Moore Williams
British Dictionary definitions for major (1 of 2)
/ (ˈmeɪdʒə) /
military an officer immediately junior to a lieutenant colonel
a person who is superior in a group or class
a large or important company: the oil majors
(often preceded by the) music a major key, chord, mode, or scale
US, Canadian, Australian and NZ
the principal field of study of a student at a university, etc: his major is sociology
a student who is studying a particular subject as his principal field: a sociology major
a person who has reached the age of legal majority
logic a major term or premise
a principal or important record company, film company, etc
the majors (plural) US and Canadian the major leagues
larger in extent, number, etc: the major part
of greater importance or priority
very serious or significant: a major disaster
main, chief, or principal
of, involving, or making up a majority
music
(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
relating to or employing notes from the major scale: a major key
(postpositive) denoting a specified key or scale as being major: C major
denoting a chord or triad having a major third above the root
(in jazz) denoting a major chord with a major seventh added above the root
logic constituting the major term or major premise of a syllogism
mainly US, Canadian, Australian and NZ of or relating to a student's principal field of study at a university, etc
British the elder: used after a schoolboy's surname if he has one or more younger brothers in the same school: Price major
of full legal age
(postpositive) bell-ringing of, relating to, or denoting a method rung on eight bells
(intr usually foll by in) US, Canadian, Australian and NZ to do one's principal study (in a particular subject): to major in English literature
(intr usually foll by on) to take or deal with as the main area of interest: the book majors on the peasant dishes
Origin of major
1Derived forms of major
- majorship, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Major (2 of 2)
/ (ˈmeɪdʒə) /
Sir John. born 1943, British Conservative politician: Chancellor of the Exchequer (1989–90); prime minister (1990–97)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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