quorum

American  

[kwawr-uhm, kwohr-] / ˈkwɔr əm, ˈkwoʊr- /

noun

• quorums,
  plural
• quora
  plural

1. the number of members of a group or organization required to be present to transact business legally, usually a majority.

2. a particularly chosen group.

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quorum British  

/ ˈkwɔːrəm /

noun

1. a minimum number of members in an assembly, society, board of directors, etc, required to be present before any valid business can be transacted

   the quorum is forty

   we don't have a quorum

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quorum Cultural  

1. The minimum number of members of a committee or legislative body who must be present before business can officially or legally be conducted. In the United States Congress, for example, either house must have a majority (218 in the House of Representatives, 51 in the Senate) to have a quorum.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• quora
  plural
• quorums
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of quorum

First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin quōrum “of whom”; from its use in Latin legal formulas for commissioning justices of the peace

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Explanation

A quorum is not necessarily a majority of members of a group, but the minimum needed in order to conduct business. For example, if two members of a group are absent, there can still be a quorum, meaning the meeting can go on without them. The noun quorum is plural of qui in Latin, meaning "of whom." The first quorum was an eminent group of justices of the peace. The word quorum was used in the commission papers that gave them the authority to act. Over time the current meaning, the minimum number needed to conduct business, was added, but the word still retains the meaning of a select group, as well.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quorum quorums

It’s not unusual for a public meeting to be canceled for lack of a quorum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

The meeting has to take place before 31 December as per reports, after the previous one was adjourned for lack of quorum, but no new date has yet been announced.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

In the meantime, lower courts should test the limits of Slaughter by enjoining removals that hamstring agencies by denying them a quorum.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

To prevent that, they used a natural bacterial communication process called quorum sensing.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 24, 2026

Outside the pub, a small crowd was gathered around a quorum of very pissed-off-looking sheep farmers.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

Both boards lost their quorums and could no longer act.

From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2026

The Western Wall’s plaza has been subdivided into smaller prayer areas to discourage large groups, and synagogues held services with smaller quorums and told the high-risk to stay home.

From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2020

Experts agree that while other independent agencies have gone without board quorums, none has faced the impending scenario of the merit board.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 12, 2019

Such occasions featuring legislative quorums outside the Capitol are rare but not unprecedented.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 5, 2014

After quorums were secured, new problems confronted this National Government, feeling its way without precedent.

From The United States of America, Part 1 by Edwin Erle Sparks

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