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• major
  major

  noun

  a commissioned military officer ranking next below a lieutenant colonel and next above a captain.
• Major
  Major

  noun

  Clarence, born 1936, U.S. novelist and poet.

major

¹ American  

[mey-jer] / ˈmeɪ dʒər /

noun

• majors
  plural

1. a commissioned military officer ranking next below a lieutenant colonel and next above a captain.

2. one of superior rank, ability, etc., in a specified class.

3. Education.

   1. a subject or field of study chosen by a student to represent their principal interest and upon which a large share of their efforts are concentrated.

      History was my major in college.

   2. a student engaged in such study.

4. a person of full legal age (opposed to minor).

5. Music. a major interval, chord, scale, etc.

6. the majors,

   1. Sports. the major leagues.

      He coached in the majors as well as in the minors.

   2. the companies or organizations that lead or control a particular field of activity.

      the oil majors.

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adjective

1. greater in size, extent, or importance.

   the major part of the town.

2. great, as in rank or importance: a major artist.

   a major political issue;

   a major artist.

3. serious or risky.

   a major operation.

4. of or relating to the majority.

   the major opinion.

5. of full legal age.

6. Music.

   1. (of an interval) being between the tonic and the second, third, sixth, or seventh degrees of a major scale: a major sixth.

      a major third;

      a major sixth.

   2. (of a chord) having a major third between the root and the note next above it.

7. pertaining to the subject in which a student takes the most courses.

   Her major field is English history.

8. (initial capital letter) (of one of two male students in an English public school who have the same surname) being the elder or higher in standing.

   Hobbes Major is not of a scientific bent.

verb (used without object)

• majors,
  present (3rd person singular)
• majored,
  past participle,  past
• majoring
  present participle

1. to follow a major course of study.

   He is majoring in physics.

Major ² American  

[mey-jer] / ˈmeɪ dʒər /

noun

1. Clarence, born 1936, U.S. novelist and poet.

2. John, born 1943, British political leader: prime minister 1990–97.

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major ¹ British  

/ ˈmeɪdʒə /

noun

1. military an officer immediately junior to a lieutenant colonel

2. a person who is superior in a group or class

3. a large or important company

   the oil majors

4. (often preceded by the) music a major key, chord, mode, or scale

5. 1. the principal field of study of a student at a university, etc

      his major is sociology

   2. a student who is studying a particular subject as his principal field

      a sociology major

6. a person who has reached the age of legal majority

7. logic a major term or premise

8. a principal or important record company, film company, etc

9. (plural) the major leagues

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adjective

1. larger in extent, number, etc

   the major part

2. of greater importance or priority

3. very serious or significant

   a major disaster

4. main, chief, or principal

5. of, involving, or making up a majority

6. music

   1. (of a scale or mode) having notes separated by the interval of a whole tone, except for the third and fourth degrees, and seventh and eighth degrees, which are separated by a semitone

   2. relating to or employing notes from the major scale

      a major key

   3. (postpositive) denoting a specified key or scale as being major

      C major

   4. denoting a chord or triad having a major third above the root

   5. (in jazz) denoting a major chord with a major seventh added above the root

7. logic constituting the major term or major premise of a syllogism

8. of or relating to a student's principal field of study at a university, etc

9. the elder: used after a schoolboy's surname if he has one or more younger brothers in the same school

   Price major

10. of full legal age

11. (postpositive) Leisure:Bell-ringing of, relating to, or denoting a method rung on eight bells

verb

1. to do one's principal study (in a particular subject)

   to major in English literature

2. to take or deal with as the main area of interest

   the book majors on the peasant dishes

Major ² British  

/ ˈmeɪdʒə /

noun

1. Sir John. born 1943, British Conservative politician: Chancellor of the Exchequer (1989–90); prime minister (1990–97)

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Synonym Usage

See capital ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• majorship
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• majors
  plural

Participles

• majoring
  present
• majored
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• major
  simple
• majors
  simple
• have majored
  perfect
• has majored
  perfect
• am majoring
  progressive
• are majoring
  progressive
• is majoring
  progressive
• have been majoring
  perfect progressive
• has been majoring
  perfect progressive

Past

• majored
  simple
• had majored
  perfect
• was majoring
  progressive
• were majoring
  progressive
• had been majoring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will major
  simple
• will have majored
  perfect
• will be majoring
  progressive
• will have been majoring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of major

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin, comparative of magnus “great, large”; replacing Middle English maio(u)r, majour, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above; see origin at majesty

Explanation

Something major is big, big, big! It's major, baby! It's large! Important! Intense! Powerful! Michael Jackson's album "Thriller" was major, eventually becoming the biggest-selling album of all time. A victory of 98 to 3 might well be called major. If you're a musician, you're probably also familiar with the difference between a minor scale and a major scale. A major scale sounds happy, while a minor one sounds sad. The discovery of life on another planet? Major. Getting into the college of your choice? Major. For everything else, there's "ordinary."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

major Major majors majored majoring

The American Farm Bureau Federation warned Trump’s proposal could cause “long-term damage” to cattle producers, while Republican lawmakers from major cattle states have also pushed back.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

German media reported at the time that the Lower Saxony state government, a major shareholder in the Volkswagen Group which holds 20 percent of the voting rights, refused to sign off on the plans.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

But unlike Rome and Florence, many of its major attractions are nearly crowd-free, and smartphones will help you to find your way into and out of even the most cramped caruggi.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Determining that boundary is one of the next major goals.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

Next to me Ikaika sighs. . . . very major . . . can’t believe that I . . . life-changing .

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Labor issues such as the one threatening Major League Baseball could put a freeze on valuations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Major autonomous-driving companies are getting ready to turn Las Vegas into a robotaxi battleground after Nevada gave three big players the OK to deploy more cars.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

Det Supt Cheryl Kelly, of the force's Major Investigation Team, said: "It is vital we trace whoever is responsible and we are fully committed to doing this."

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Major airlines have invested heavily in onboard experiences in recent years as they vie for passengers’ loyalty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

There was movement in the balcony to my right, and I glanced up to see the president and his wife taking their seats with their friends Clara Harris and Major Henry Rathbone.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Sinner and Alcaraz produced a clean sweep of the Grand Slam titles in 2024 and 2025, winning four majors apiece in a duopoly which has morphed into a generational duel.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

O'Neil said the schedule would be aimed at maximising LIV players' ability to be match-fit come the majors.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Over his first two seasons in the majors, Paul Skenes’s career was defined by making the impossible look mundane.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

His most notable finish was a tie for 12th at the Masters, which was a stark drop-off for a player who has always had an uncanny ability to level up at majors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Math majors marveled to hear Dr. Claytor, originally from Norfolk, advancing sophisticated mathematical proofs in his drawling “country” accent.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

After coming through the LTA system, Fery opted to go on a scholarship to Stanford University in California - a prestigious institution that specialises in research - and majored in science, technology and society.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

But AI wasn’t allowed for quizzes or exams testing memorized subjects, said the 22-year-old, who majored in business computer information systems.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

I took that work ethic to the California Institute of the Arts, where I majored in acting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

Gonzalez Rogers was born in Houston and majored in politics at Princeton University before getting her law degree from the University of Texas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

Dad majored in architecture, like I will one day, and Mom studied interior design.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio

Starting in 2013, the number of students majoring in sociology dropped from 31,000 to 21,000 in 2024.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Sherry Zhou, a senior majoring in political science and communications, said the timing was difficult with major assignments due and many professors using Canvas to share readings and slide decks.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

In 1992, I started at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in communications and minoring in theater.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026

Katie Karroum, a Cal State Northridge senior majoring in communication studies, said AI has been “inconsistently used and applied.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

“Sure. You have to. They don’t let you study just Talmud in that college. I’ll be majoring in psychology.”

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Related Words

• big
• crucial
• great
• main
• notable
• preeminent
• principal
• radical
• serious
• significant
• vital