ballot
Americannoun
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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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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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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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preballotverb (used with object)
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unballotedadjective
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reballotnoun
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balloternoun
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nonballotingnoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has ballotedperfect 3rd person singular
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have ballotedperfect
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am ballotingprogressive 1st person singular
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are ballotingprogressive
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is ballotingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been ballotingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been ballotingperfect progressive
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ballotssingular 3rd person
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ballotingparticiple
Past
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had ballotedperfect
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were ballotingprogressive plural
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ballotedparticiple
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had been ballotingperfect progressive
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was ballotingprogressive singular
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ballotedsimple
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.
Her advice for pushing back against figures like O’Leary and Big Tech is to hit the ballot box and don’t skip local elections.
From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026
It’s also allowed vote by mail for decades, expanding it during the COVID-19 pandemic so that every registered voter in California receives a mail ballot.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
The competing measures, which have drawn enough verified signatures to qualify for the November ballot, come at a time when the rising cost of healthcare is emerging as a top voter concern.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
With about 10% of the vote counted, Platner had about 75%, compared with 18.6% for Mills, whose name remained on the ballot.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
I marked an X in the box next to the letters ANC and then slipped my folded ballot paper into a simple wooden box; I had cast the first vote of my life.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
