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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
Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 24 May 2024
The congressional crypto caucus handed the industry another victory Wednesday, when the House passed the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, known as FIT21.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2024
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024
The last time Idaho Democrats caucused was in 2016, when nearly 24,000 voters showed up as Bernie Sanders and Hilary Clinton contended for their votes.
—Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 24 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for caucus 
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Cite this Entry
“Caucus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caucus. Accessed 7 Jun. 2024.
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caucus
noun
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