ballot

American  

[bal-uht] / ˈbæl ət /

noun

1. a slip or sheet of paper on which a person's vote is marked.

2. the method of secret voting by means of printed or written slips or sheets of paper or by means of voting machines.

3. voting in general, or a round of voting.

   Our candidate was defeated on the third ballot.

4. the list of candidates to be voted on.

   They succeeded in getting her name placed on the ballot.

5. the right to vote.

   to gain the ballot after years of struggle.

6. the whole number of votes cast or recorded.

7. a system or the practice of drawing lots.

   The assassin would be chosen by ballot.

8. (formerly) a little ball used in voting.

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verb (used without object)

balloted, balloting

1. to vote.

   to ballot against a candidate.

2. to draw lots.

   to ballot for places.

verb (used with object)

balloted, balloting

1. to canvass or solicit (a group, membership, etc.) for votes.

   Members were balloted on the resolution.

2. to select, especially for military service.

   Certain age groups will not be balloted at this time.

ballot British  

/ ˈbælət /

noun

1. the democratic practice of selecting a representative, a course of action, or deciding some other choice by submitting the options to a vote of all qualified persons

2. an instance of voting, usually in secret using ballot papers or a voting machine

3. the paper on which a vote is recorded

4. a list of candidates standing for office

5. the number of votes cast in an election

6. a random selection of successful applicants for something in which the demand exceeds the supply, esp for shares in an oversubscribed new issue

7. the allocation by ballot of farming land among eligible candidates, such as ex-servicemen

8. a low-interest housing loan allocated by building societies by drawing lots among its eligible members

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verb

1. to vote or elicit a vote from

   we balloted the members on this issue

2. to select (officials, etc) by lot or ballot or to select (successful applicants) at random

3. to vote or decide (on an issue, etc)

ballot Idioms  

1. see stuff the ballot box.

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Other Word Forms

• balloter noun
• nonballoting noun
• preballot verb (used with object)
• reballot noun
• unballoted adjective

Etymology

Origin of ballot

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French ballotte, from Venetian Italian ballotta, equivalent to ball ( a ) ball ¹ + -otta diminutive suffix

Example Sentences

He received 429 votes of 584 cast by MPs, a parliament official said after ballot counting was finished.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The order calls for extensive rulemaking by both DHS and USPS, and complicated implementation rules for the states, including rules related to the types of envelopes states must use and forms of ballot tracking.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

Utah, for example, has had universal mail voting since 2012, meaning that counties could conduct their elections entirely by mail by sending all registered voters a mail ballot.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

Commerce and Bell Gardens will both place measures on the June ballot proposing a 0.25 percentage point increase in sales tax to recoup general funds the cities would lose due to the ban.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

In fact, Anthony’s father did not vote in a presidential election until 1860, when he cast a ballot for Abraham Lincoln after concluding that slavery could only be abolished by force.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Related Words

• election
• plebiscite
• poll
• polling
• referendum
• slate
• tally
• ticket