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closed primary
See the most commonly confused word associated with open primary
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noun
a direct primary in which only persons meeting tests of party membership may vote.
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Origin of closed primary
An Americanism dating back to 1940–45
Words nearby closed primary
closed loop, closed-minded, closedown, closed plan, closed position, closed primary, closed rule, closed scholarship, closed season, closed sentence, closed set
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for closed primary
closed primary
noun
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
Cultural definitions for closed primary
closed primary
A type of direct primary limited to registered party members, who must declare their party affiliation in order to vote. The closed primary serves to encourage party unity and prevent members of other parties from infiltrating and voting to nominate weak candidates. (Compare open primary.)
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.