simple majority
Americannoun
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less than half of the total votes cast but more than the minimum required to win, as when there are more than two candidates or choices.
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less than half the number of voters registered.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While a decision requires only a simple majority of 7-5, there hasn’t been a decision with more than three dissenting votes since 1992.
The contract was ratified with 78 percent of the vote, easily clearing the required threshold of a simple majority.
From New York Times
The Brazilian Senate is expected to vote before the end of the year on Dino’s nomination, which requires a simple majority for confirmation.
From Washington Times
To pass anything under simple majority rules, assuming support from the sitting vice president, those 18 senators would have to attract an additional 32 votes: the equivalent, in electoral terms, of a supermajority.
From Seattle Times
The initiative, which would enshrine those rights in the state constitution, passed the state Senate and Assembly earlier this year, and now must be approved with a simple majority again in 2025 before being eligible for the 2026 ballot.
From Seattle Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.