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direct primary

noun U.S. Politics.

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

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Compare indirect primary.

Origin of direct primary

First recorded in 1895–1900

Words nearby direct primary

directory, Directory Assistance, direct oxidase, direct percussion, direct positive, direct primary, direct product, direct question, direct reacting bilirubin, direct-reading, directress
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for direct primary

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.

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.