ballot

[ bal-uht ]
See synonyms for: ballotballotedballotingballoter on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

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

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

  4. the whole number of votes cast or recorded.

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

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

verb (used without object),bal·lot·ed, bal·lot·ing.
  1. to vote: to ballot against a candidate.

  2. to draw lots: to ballot for places.

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

Origin of ballot

1
First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French ballotte, from Venetian Italian ballotta, equivalent to ball (a ) ball1 + -otta diminutive suffix

Other words from ballot

  • bal·lot·er, noun
  • non·bal·lot·ing, noun
  • pre·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

Words that may be confused with ballot

Words Nearby ballot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ballot in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ballot

ballot

/ (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

  1. the paper on which a vote is recorded

  2. a list of candidates standing for office

  3. the number of votes cast in an election

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

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

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

verb-lots, -loting or -loted
  1. to vote or elicit a vote from: we balloted the members on this issue

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

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

Origin of ballot

1
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

Other Idioms and Phrases with ballot

ballot

see stuff the ballot box.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.