ballot
Americannoun
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ballots
plural
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a slip or sheet of paper on which a person's vote is marked.
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the method of secret voting by means of printed or written slips or sheets of paper or by means of voting machines.
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voting in general, or a round of voting.
Our candidate was defeated on the third ballot.
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the list of candidates to be voted on.
They succeeded in getting her name placed on the ballot.
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the right to vote.
to gain the ballot after years of struggle.
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the whole number of votes cast or recorded.
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a system or the practice of drawing lots.
The assassin would be chosen by ballot.
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(formerly) a little ball used in voting.
verb (used without object)
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ballots,
present (3rd person singular)
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balloted,
past participle, past
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balloting
present participle
-
to vote.
to ballot against a candidate.
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to draw lots.
to ballot for places.
verb (used with object)
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ballots,
present (3rd person singular)
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balloted,
past participle, past
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balloting
present participle
-
to canvass or solicit (a group, membership, etc.) for votes.
Members were balloted on the resolution.
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to select, especially for military service.
Certain age groups will not be balloted at this time.
noun
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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
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an instance of voting, usually in secret using ballot papers or a voting machine
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the paper on which a vote is recorded
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a list of candidates standing for office
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the number of votes cast in an election
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a random selection of successful applicants for something in which the demand exceeds the supply, esp for shares in an oversubscribed new issue
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the allocation by ballot of farming land among eligible candidates, such as ex-servicemen
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a low-interest housing loan allocated by building societies by drawing lots among its eligible members
verb
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to vote or elicit a vote from
we balloted the members on this issue
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to select (officials, etc) by lot or ballot or to select (successful applicants) at random
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to vote or decide (on an issue, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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balloternoun
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nonballotingnoun
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reballotnoun
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preballotverb (used with object)
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unballotedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ballotsimple
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ballotssimple
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have ballotedperfect
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has ballotedperfect
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am ballotingprogressive
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are ballotingprogressive
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is ballotingprogressive
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have been ballotingperfect progressive
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has been ballotingperfect progressive
Past
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ballotedsimple
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had ballotedperfect
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was ballotingprogressive
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were ballotingprogressive
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had been ballotingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
A ballot is a document that lists the choices during an election. When running for office, a candidate’s first goal is getting on the ballot. This Italian-derived word has proven remarkably successful by adapting itself to evolving voting technologies. It has been applied to devices used for casting votes from ancient times to the present, whether consisting of pottery, paper or pixels. Any kind of device, whether on paper or a computer screen, can be called a ballot if it lists the candidates and allows you to vote.
Vocabulary lists containing ballot
Election Lingo
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Electoral Elocution: The Verbiage of Voting
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Academy Awards, List 1
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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.
See Examples For:
Sharman, 62, spent $40,000 on his push to gather the 1,000 verified signatures required to get on the ballot for the midterms.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
In 2024, developers pulled a ballot measure to exempt the project from county anti-sprawl rules when polling showed it heading for defeat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
The rest of the story we’re all familiar with: Platner built a movement, and then imploded personally, leaving Jackson as the warm body to fill the ballot line.
From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2026
“We got a card saying, ‘You have to re-register!’ then City Hall said, ‘The mail ballot is fine. Forget all that other stuff!’” he said, laughing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
I wave goodbye as Dad gets his ballot.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
They are also using targeted digital ads, mailers and phone calls to persuade these voters to cast ballots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
More than 2,500 ballots had been misplaced in the original count, but were found while doing the recount.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
Of course, there’s still an election to be held, votes to be cast and ballots to be counted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
The UAW is holding an election for executive offices with a Monday deadline for submitting member ballots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
There were five stacks of ballots, one for each candidate, printed with the man’s name and his picture.
From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple
The unions said members were balloted following "sustained failure to deliver a credible implementation plan for the 27 recommendations of the Independent Review of Workload".
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Of the 83 hotels in Liverpool balloted about the visitor charge, 59% were in favour, on a turnout of 53%.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2025
Staff at Dundee University were also balloted for strike action last week following reports up to 700 jobs could be cut in an effort to overcome a £35m deficit.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2025
Staff at the University of Dundee are to be balloted on strike action following reports the institution could cut up to 700 jobs.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2025
It appeared that both houses of the Iowa legislature had met in joint convention, had balloted without result, and the convention had adjourned to meet at 10 A. M. the next day.
From The Brothers' War by John Calvin Reed
In the first round of balloting in March, he finished slightly ahead of Paxton, 42.5% to 40.8%, but short of the 50% necessary to avoid a run-off.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
States have ultimate responsibility for voter registration rolls, the kind of machinery used to conduct balloting, the rules for contesting elections, laws prescribing how candidates qualify to appear on the ballot, and much more.
From Slate ● Feb. 3, 2026
Andrews, a former Democratic congressman in the United States, voiced hope Sunday's final day of balloting would bring relief to Myanmar's people.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
But at this rate, Jaffe said, Hernández is in line for the biggest one-year gain since writers returned to yearly balloting in 1967.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 17, 2026
The balloting proceeded without incident on a shining September morning.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
