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Definition of major noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

major

noun
 
/ˈmeɪdʒə(r)/
 
/ˈmeɪdʒər/
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  1. [countable]
    (abbreviation Maj.)
    an officer of fairly high rank in the army or the US air force
    • Major Smith
    • He's a major in the US army.
    see also drum major, sergeant majorTopics War and conflictc1
  2. [countable] (North American English) the main subject or course of a student at college or university
    • Her major is French.
    compare minor
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    Topics Educationc1
  3. [countable] (North American English) a student studying a particular subject as the main part of their course
    • She's a French major.
    Topics Educationc1
  4. a major organization or competition
    • The output of the big five oil majors has fallen in recent years.
    • The greatest achievement in tennis is to win all four majors in a single year.
    CultureThe Majors is the name given to the four most important tournaments (= sports competitions) in golf. They are the British Open, the US Open, the US Masters Tournament and the US PGA Championship.The term Majors is also sometimes used for the four most important tournaments in tennis, also called the Grand Slams. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
  5. the majors
     [plural] (North American English, sport) the major leagues
    6. Word OriginMiddle English: from Latin, comparative of magnus ‘great’; perhaps influenced by French majeur.
See major in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee major in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: major

Nearby words

perspective
noun
 
 
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