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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
Al Weaver, The Hill, 13 Oct. 2025
The same three senators from the Democratic caucus who have voted with Republicans on previous votes — John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Nevada’s Catherine Cortez Masto, as well as Angus King of Maine, one of two independents in the caucus — did so again on Wednesday.
—Kevin Breuninger,erin Doherty, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025
Bart Jansen, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
In addition, Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats, again voted with Republicans on the measure.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for caucus
Cite this Entry
“Caucus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caucus. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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caucus
noun
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