minority leader

American  

noun

1. the party member who directs the activities of the minority party on the floor of a legislative body, as of the U.S. Congress.

---

minority leader Cultural  

1. The leader of the political party that holds a minority of seats in either house of Congress or of a state legislature. Selected by their own party caucus es, minority leaders act as chief spokespersons and strategists for their parties.

---

Etymology

Origin of minority leader

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

minority leader

He took on the favored candidate of Amodei and others in the GOP establishment, James Settelmeyer, a former minority leader of the state Senate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

After she was asked about a possible Senate run against minority leader Chuck Schumer, the US Senate's top Democrat, Ocasio-Cortez replied that "anything was possible".

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Democrats lost their majority in 2024, but Mr. Schumer as minority leader is still the highest-ranking Jew in U.S. elective office.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

And that’s particularly true of the strategies and tactics of the Senate minority leader quoted above: Harry Reid, who served as Democrats’ Senate leader from 2005 to 2017.

From Slate ● May 4, 2026

The next speaker is the Hon. George M. Palmer, minority leader of the Assembly.

From Modern Eloquence: Vol III, After-Dinner Speeches P-Z by Various