caucus

American  

[kaw-kuhs] / ˈkɔ kəs /

noun

caucuses plural

1. U.S. Politics.

   1. a local meeting of party members 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 Caucus a faction within a legislative body that pursues its interests through the legislative process.

      the Women's Caucus; the Black Caucus.

2. any group or meeting organized to further a special interest or cause.

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verb (used without object)

1. to hold or meet in a caucus.

verb (used with object)

1. to bring up or hold for discussion in a caucus.

   The subject was caucused.

2. to bring together or poll in a caucus.

   The paper caucused its new editorial board on Friday.

   The chairman caucused the water pollution committee before making recommendations.

caucus British  

/ ˈkɔːkəs /

noun

1. 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 politicians

      the Democratic caucus in Congress

2. 1. a group of leading politicians of one party

   2. a meeting of such a group

3. a local meeting of party members

4. a group or faction within a larger group, esp a political party, who discuss tactics, choose candidates, etc

5. a group of MPs from one party who meet to discuss tactics, etc

6. a formal meeting of all Members of Parliament belonging to one political party

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verb

1. (intr) to hold a caucus

caucus Cultural  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of caucus

An Americanism dating back to 1755–65; apparently first used in the name of the Caucus Club of colonial Boston; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Medieval Latin caucus “drinking vessel,” Late Latin caucum, from Greek kaûkos; perhaps from Virginia Algonquian Cawcawwassough “elders of the Chickahominy people”

Explanation

The noun caucus is a closed meeting of members from the same political party. The Iowa caucuses get a lot of attention during the presidential primary season. Who knows how we got the noun caucus? One theory is that it comes from an Algonquin word that means an elder or leader of the tribe. Another theory is that the word comes from a social and political club in Boston in the 1700s that was perhaps named for the Greek word for drinking cup. However the word slipped into American English, today it refers to a closed political meeting, often used to choose party leaders.

Example Sentences

"That is how I would vote on separation in a provincial referendum," she said, adding that "it is also the position of my government and my caucus."

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney cemented his hold on power after electoral victories Monday night and defections to his Liberal Party caucus over the past six months.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

He held the title only because Vermont’s Jim Jeffords recently had switched to the Democratic caucus, pushing the former president pro tem, 98-year-old Strom Thurmond, into the minority.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

Limón said her caucus believes it’s important to address potential revenue streams because of the depth of federal healthcare reductions.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2026

Barack and I dropped into a downtown Des Moines food court over lunch and later made visits to various caucus sites to greet as many voters as we could.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• convention
• gathering
• meeting
• session