direct primary

noun U.S. Politics.

a primary in which members of a party nominate its candidates by direct vote.

Words nearby direct primary

direct object, direct ophthalmoscope, direct oxidase, direct percussion, direct positive, direct primary, direct product, direct question, direct reacting bilirubin, direct selling, direct speech

Compare indirect primary.

Origin of direct primary

First recorded in 1895–1900

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for direct primary

We had in California on the 16th day of August (less than a month ago) a direct-primary election.
Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress|Various

British Dictionary definitions for direct primary

direct primary

noun

US government a primary in which voters directly select the candidates who will run for office

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 direct primary

direct primary

An election in which voters choose candidates to run on a party's ticket in a subsequent election for public office.