suffrage

American  

[suhf-rij] / ˈsʌf rɪdʒ /

noun

1. the right to vote, especially in a political election.

2. a vote given in favor of a proposed measure, candidate, or the like.

3. Ecclesiastical. a prayer, especially a short intercessory prayer or petition.

---

suffrage British  

/ ˈsʌfrɪdʒ /

noun

1. the right to vote, esp in public elections; franchise

2. the exercise of such a right; casting a vote

3. a supporting vote

4. a prayer, esp a short intercessory prayer

---

suffrage Cultural  

1. The right to vote (see franchise). In the United States, the term is often associated with the women's movement to win voting rights. (See suffragist.)

---

Other Word Forms

• antisuffrage
  adjective
• nonsuffrage
  noun
• presuffrage
  noun
• prosuffrage
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of suffrage

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin suffrāgium “voting tablet, a vote cast in an assembly (for a law or candidate), an act of voting or the exercise of the right to vote, the decision reached by a vote, an expression of approval, influence or promotion on behalf of a candidate,” equivalent to Latin suffrāg(ārī) “to express public support, vote or canvass for, support” + -ium noun suffix; see -ium

Explanation

Suffrage is the right to vote in public elections. Universal suffrage means everyone gets to vote, as opposed to only men or property holders. Suffrage has nothing to do with "suffering" — unless the wrong person is elected. If you want to vote before you’re 18, fight for youth suffrage and get the law changed. In the meantime, once you turn 18, go vote! Kids grow up, of course, but it has been much harder for others to get the right to vote. For example, after trying for about a hundred years, American women were granted suffrage and voted for the first time in 1920. Think about that next time you’re tempted to stay home on election day.

Example Sentences

During the First World War she moved to London to help the Worker's Suffrage Foundation campaign for women to get the vote and she never lived in Glasgow again, eventually settling in Bristol.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2025

Beyond her work as an author, scholar and historian, she serves as the chair of the board of directors at the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 20, 2022

She was a leader of the Alpha Suffrage movement, one of the founders of the National Association of Colored Women and one of the founders of the NAACP.

From Washington Post • Apr. 5, 2022

For instance, Charlotte “Lottie” Rollin, the daughter of mixed-race parents, led the South Carolina chapter of the American Woman Suffrage Association.

From National Geographic Kids • Feb. 25, 2020

Cover of the official program of the National American Woman Suffrage Association procession in Washington, DC, on March 1913.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling