minor party

noun

: a political party whose electoral strength is so small as to prevent its gaining control of a government except in rare and exceptional circumstances

Examples of minor party in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web How minor parties choose their presidential candidates The Libertarian Party and Green Party choose their presidential and vice-presidential nominees at their national conventions, and their primary systems vary by state. Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 2 Feb. 2024 Independents and voters affiliated with minor parties can’t participate in this election. Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 2 Feb. 2024 Twenty percent have no party preference, and the remaining 5% are scattered among minor parties. East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2024 This system allows voters to rank all candidates – Democratic, Republican, independent or minor party – from their favorite to least favorite on the same ballot. Christopher Devine, The Conversation, 10 July 2023 The deadline for all independent candidates and/or minor parties is Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. Plump, who was in his first year in office, resigned in May after pleading guilty to federal charges of wire fraud conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Mike Cason | McAson@al.com, al, 15 June 2023 The deadline for all independent candidates and/or minor parties is Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. Mike Cason | McAson@al.com, al, 8 July 2023 So far, 14 people have filed paperwork to run for the seat with the Federal Election Commission — eight Democrats, five Republicans and one candidate affiliated with a minor party. Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2023 With the support of the Greens’ 11 senators, the government only needs the backing of two unaligned or minor party senators to get the reforms through the upper chamber. Rod McGuirk, ajc, 27 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'minor party.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of minor party was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near minor party

Cite this Entry

“Minor party.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minor%20party. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

minor party

noun
: a political party whose electoral strength is so small as to prevent its gaining control of a government except in rare and exceptional circumstances
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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