noun, verb · neutral
major
UK/ˈmeɪdʒə(r)/US/ˈmeɪdʒər/MAJ·or
Band 5-6speakingtask2
The main subject a student studies at university; (verb) to study a particular subject as one's main subject.
Examples
“She decided to major in economics at university.”
“His major is chemical engineering.”
“He majored in History and then did a master's in education.”
Band 8 sentence
“I majored in environmental policy, which allowed me to combine economics with practical fieldwork.”
Collocations
- major in
- double major
- college major
Word family
major nounto major (in) verbmajority noun
Common mistakes
I major in Biology since 2018.→I have majored in Biology since 2018.
He is majoring economics.→He is majoring in economics.
Say it for a higher band
5study (a subject)→6specialize→7+major
Synonyms
specialize
Easily confused
minor
“She completed a minor in Spanish alongside her major in Economics.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Education & Study
Learn it with its set