ballot

[ bal-uh t ]

/ ˈbæl ət /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ballot ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a slip or sheet of paper, cardboard, or the like, on which a voter marks his or her vote.

the method of secret voting by means of printed or written ballots or by means of voting machines.

voting in general, or a round of voting: Our candidate was defeated on the third ballot.

the list of candidates to be voted on: They succeeded in getting her name placed on the ballot.

the right to vote: to gain the ballot after years of struggle.

the whole number of votes cast or recorded.

a system or the practice of drawing lots: The assassin would be chosen by ballot.

(formerly) a little ball used in voting.

verb (used without object), bal·lot·ed, bal·lot·ing.

to vote by ballot: to ballot against a candidate.

to draw lots: to ballot for places.

verb (used with object), bal·lot·ed, bal·lot·ing.

to canvass or solicit (a group, membership, etc.) for votes: Members were balloted on the resolution.

to select, especially for military service, by ballot: Certain age groups will not be balloted at this time.

Nearby words

Origin of ballot

1540–50; (< Middle French ballotte) < Italian ballotta (probably < Venetian), equivalent to ball(a) ball¹ + -otta diminutive suffix

Related forms

bal·lot·er, nounnon·bal·lot·ing, nounpre·bal·lot, verb (used with object), pre·bal·lot·ed, pre·bal·lot·ing.re·bal·lot, noun, verb (used without object)

un·bal·lot·ed, adjective

Can be confusedballad ballet ballot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ballot

However, more than 20 players on the ballot this year were probably worthy of being enshrined in Cooperstown.
Conservative Curt Says His Politics, Not His Pitching, Kept Him Out of the Hall of Fame|Ben Jacobs|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If 29 vote for someone else, the race for speaker goes to a second ballot for the first time in almost 100 years.
Kamikaze Congress Prepares to Strike Boehner|Ben Jacobs|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
At least 29 fellow Republicans must vote against Boehner for a second ballot to be reached, and that seems very unlikely.
The YOLO Caucus' New Cry for Attention|Ben Jacobs|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He goes into some detail into what it took to persuade voters to pass marriage equality at the ballot box in four states in 2012.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality|E.J. Graff|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

By 2012, the marriage equality movement had won in courts and legislatures—but not at the ballot box.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality|E.J. Graff|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Such nomination by 100 or more legal voters entitles their names to be placed on the Australian ballot.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV|Various
The ballot is not a political or a military, but a domestic necessity.
History of Woman Suffrage, Volume III (of III)|Various
How different from Wordsworth who attacked the ballot and took sides against reform!
Poems of James Russell Lowell|James Russell Lowell
The voting is done by ballot, in the presence of the notary (escribano), and the chief of the province, who presides.
The Former Philippines thru Foreign Eyes|Toms de Comyn
Back of every ballot is a bayonet or theres nothing back of it.
The Fall of a Nation|Thomas Dixon

British Dictionary definitions for ballot

ballot

/ (ˈbælət) /

noun

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

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

the paper on which a vote is recorded

a list of candidates standing for office

the number of votes cast in an election

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

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

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

verb -lots, -loting or -loted

to vote or elicit a vote fromwe balloted the members on this issue

(tr usually foll by for) to select (officials, etc) by lot or ballot or to select (successful applicants) at random

(tr often foll by for) to vote or decide (on an issue, etc)

Word Origin for ballot

C16: from Italian ballotta, literally: a little ball, from balla ball 1

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

Word Origin and History for ballot

ballot

1540s, "small ball used in voting," also "secret vote taken by ballots," from Italian pallotte, diminutive of palla "ball," for small balls used as counters in secret voting (see balloon). Earliest references are to Venice. Ballot box attested from 1670s.

ballot

1540s, from ballot (n.). Related: Balloted; balloting.

Idioms and Phrases with ballot

ballot

see stuff the ballot box.

ballot

noun

verb (used without object), bal·lot·ed, bal·lot·ing.

verb (used with object), bal·lot·ed, bal·lot·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of ballot

Examples from the Web for ballot

ballot

noun

verb -lots, -loting or -loted

Word Origin for ballot

ballot

ballot

ballot