blackball
verb (used with object)
to vote against (a candidate, applicant, etc.).
blackballed
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past participleof blackball.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof blackball.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
blackballverb (used with object)to vote against (a candidate, applicant, etc.).
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.
In an unpublished article titled “Das Kannibal,” Mitchell wrote angrily about being blackballed for speaking out against the war.
From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2025
Then again, maybe that’s a popcorn kernel for critics and other nerds, like another episode’s throwaway line from a former journalist who says she got blackballed for sucker-punching Rex Reed.
From Salon ● May 8, 2025
It happened after a Muhammad Ali fight back in 1970 when he couldn’t get sanctioned to fight anywhere; he’d been blackballed because of his stance against the Vietnam War.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2024
It has also been reported that the energy security department had already blackballed Greenpeace months ago.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2023
If he’s not careful, he’ll be blackballed by his state medical association and kept out of the hospitals.”
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
