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caucus

[kaw-kuh s]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR caucus ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural cau·cus·es.

U.S. Politics.
  1. a meeting of party leaders to select candidates, elect convention delegates, etc.
  2. a meeting of party members within a legislative body to select leaders and determine strategy.
  3. (often initial capital letter)a faction within a legislative body that pursues its interests through the legislative process: the Women's Caucus; the Black Caucus.
any group or meeting organized to further a special interest or cause.

verb (used without object)

to hold or meet in a caucus.

verb (used with object)

to bring up or hold for discussion in a caucus: The subject was caucused. The group caucused the meeting.

RELATED WORDS

gathering, session, meeting, convention, assembly, conclave, council, parley, get-together

Nearby words

  1. cauchy integral theorem,
  2. cauchy sequence,
  3. cauchy's inequality,
  4. cauchy-riemann equations,
  5. cauchy-schwarz inequality,
  6. cauda,
  7. cauda equina,
  8. cauda pancreatis,
  9. caudad,
  10. caudaite

Origin of caucus

1755–65, Americanism; apparently first used in the name of the Caucus Club of colonial Boston; perhaps < Medieval Latin caucus drinking vessel, Late Latin caucum < Greek kaûkos; alleged Virginia Algonquian orig. less probable
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for caucus

British Dictionary definitions for caucus

caucus

noun plural -cuses

mainly US and Canadian
  1. a closed meeting of the members of one party in a legislative chamber, etc, to coordinate policy, choose candidates, etc
  2. such a bloc of politiciansthe Democratic caucus in Congress
mainly US
  1. a group of leading politicians of one party
  2. a meeting of such a group
mainly US a local meeting of party members
British a group or faction within a larger group, esp a political party, who discuss tactics, choose candidates, etc
Australian a group of MPs from one party who meet to discuss tactics, etc
NZ a formal meeting of all Members of Parliament belonging to one political party

verb

(intr) to hold a caucus

Word Origin for caucus

C18: probably of Algonquian origin; related to caucauasu adviser
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
Word Origin and History for caucus
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for caucus

caucus

[(kaw-kuhs)]

A meeting of members of a political party to nominate candidates, choose convention delegates, plan campaign tactics, determine party policy, or select leaders for a legislature.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.