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It’s hard to pinpoint the exact origins of caucus, but some scholars think the word may have developed from an Algonquian term for a group of elders, leaders, or advisers. An early example of the word in use comes from John Adams, who in February of 1763 reported that the Boston “caucus club,” a group of politically active city elders, would soon meet and that, at the meetings, those present would “smoke tobacco till you [could not] see from one end of the garret to the other.” A similarly opaque smoke screen seems to cloud the history of caucus to this day.
Examples of caucus in a Sentence
David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Donald Trump becomes 1st US president tried and convicted of crimes
Trump also faced a Republican primary with more than a dozen challengers, including his former vice president, but most dropped out before the Iowa caucus and Trump won all but two state primaries.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2024
Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024
With the retirement of Sens. Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), who caucus with Democrats and previously prevented the party from altering the filibuster, Tester is likely to become the most prominent roadblock.
—Ramsey Touchberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Caucus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caucus. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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caucus
noun
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