ballot

[bal-uh t]

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.

Origin of ballot

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

Related formsbal·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

Related Words for ballot

slate, tally, referendum, election, ticket, poll, plebiscite, lineup, choice, franchise

Examples from the Web for ballot

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of ballot

Grant the Ballot, and the new corollary of enlarged suffrage.
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
It was a wet day, only a few at the ballot, and somehow you got in.
Davenport Dunn, Volume 2 (of 2)
Charles James Lever
He paused before the half-barricaded door and presented his ballot.
The Boy Settlers
Noah Brooks
The only remedy for her, as for man himself, in this republic, is the ballot in her hand.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV
Various
The ballot is the scepter of power in the hand of every citizen.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV
Various

British Dictionary definitions for ballot

ballot

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

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.

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

Idioms and Phrases with ballot

ballot

see stuff the ballot box.