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Synonyms

pollster

American  
[pohl-ster] / ˈpoʊl stər /

noun

  1. a person whose occupation is the taking of public-opinion polls.


pollster British  
/ ˈpəʊlstə /

noun

  1. a person who conducts opinion polls

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pollster

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; poll 1 + -ster

Explanation

A pollster is a person who surveys voters to find out who they're voting for or to gather other information about their opinions. Often, pollsters attempt to predict the outcome of an election by polling people either before they vote or just afterwards. Pollsters sometimes also ask people questions about their opinions on social and political issues. Pollster, coined in 1939, comes from poll, "to take votes" or "to survey," and originally, "head of hair." This meaning was first extended from "head" to "person," and then in the 1620s to "counting heads."

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Vocabulary lists containing pollster

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Pollster Ipsos said the proportion of 18-29-year-old voters was bigger than those aged over 60.

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2023

Pollster Rachel Bitecofer also warned on Twitter that:

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2023

Pollster Morning Consult and the nonprofit More in Common reported Thursday that 86% of adults from all political backgrounds have some or a great deal of confidence in veterans.

From Washington Times • Nov. 10, 2022

Pollster Lorenzo Pregliasco says this time the percentage could drop to as low as 66%.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2022

Pollster IPEC, formerly known as IBOPE, interviewed 2,512 people in person between Sept. 9-11.

From Reuters • Sep. 13, 2022