poll
1 Americannoun
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a sampling or collection of opinions on a subject, taken from either a selected or a random group of persons, as for the purpose of analysis.
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Usually polls. the place where votes are taken.
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the registering of votes, as at an election.
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the voting at an election.
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the number of votes cast.
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the numerical result of the voting.
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an enumeration or a list of individuals, as for purposes of taxing or voting.
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a person or individual in a number or list.
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the head, especially the part of it on which the hair grows.
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the back of the head.
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the rear portion of the head of a horse; the nape.
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the part of the head between the ears of certain animals, as the horse and cow.
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the broad end or face of a hammer.
verb (used with object)
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polls,
present (3rd person singular)
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polled,
past participle, past
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polling
present participle
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to take a sampling of the attitudes or opinions of.
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to receive at the polls as votes.
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to enroll (someone) in a list or register, as for purposes of taxing or voting.
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to take or register the votes of (persons).
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to deposit or cast at the polls as a vote.
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to bring to the polls, as voters.
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to cut short or cut off the hair, wool, etc., of (an animal); crop; clip; shear.
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to cut short or cut off (hair, wool, etc.).
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to cut off the top of (a tree); pollard.
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to cut off or cut short the horns of (cattle).
verb (used without object)
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polls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
polled,
past participle, past
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polling
present participle
noun
noun
noun
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the casting, recording, or counting of votes in an election; a voting
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the result or quantity of such a voting
a heavy poll
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Also called: opinion poll.
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a canvassing of a representative sample of a large group of people on some question in order to determine the general opinion of the group
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the results or record of such a canvassing
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any counting or enumeration
a poll of the number of men with long hair
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short for poll tax
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a list or enumeration of people, esp for taxation or voting purposes
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the striking face of a hammer
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the occipital or back part of the head of an animal
verb
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to receive (a vote or quantity of votes)
he polled 10 000 votes
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to receive, take, or record the votes of
he polled the whole town
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to canvass (a person, group, area, etc) as part of a survey of opinion
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to take the vote, verdict, opinion, etc, individually of each member (of a jury, conference, etc)
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(sometimes intr) to cast (a vote) in an election
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computing (in data transmission when several terminals share communications channels) to check each channel rapidly to establish which are free, or to call for data from each terminal in turn
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to clip or shear
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to remove or cut short the horns of (cattle)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pollsimple
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pollssimple
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have polledperfect
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has polledperfect
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am pollingprogressive
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are pollingprogressive
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is pollingprogressive
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have been pollingperfect progressive
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has been pollingperfect progressive
Past
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polledsimple
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had polledperfect
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was pollingprogressive
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were pollingprogressive
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had been pollingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of poll1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pol(le) “head (of a person or animal); a person,” from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German: “hair of the head, top of a tree or other plant”; akin to Danish puld, Swedish pull “crown (of the head)”
Origin of poll2
First recorded in 1800–05; from Greek polloí (as in hoi polloí “the many”); see poly-
Explanation
A poll is an election, or a survey of people's opinions. When people go to the polls, they vote. If you poll your classmates about their favorite foods, you survey them and take note of their opinions — in other words, they each cast a vote. This is also what happens when voters go to the polls, although they're voting for political candidates and their votes are anonymous. The original fourteenth century meaning of poll was "hair on the head" or just "head." This gradually evolved into "person," and the idea of "counting heads."
Vocabulary lists containing poll
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:
Sony’s quarterly net profit beat the analyst estimate of 349.00 billion yen in a poll by Visible Alpha.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
In an October poll conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, co-sponsored by The Times, Bass erased an 11-point gap with Raman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
In a poll conducted by YouGov on Wednesday, 26% of all voters said they were “thrilled” about the results of the election, and 30% were “happy.”
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
The NBC poll suggests relatively few did, with more than nine in 10 self-described Trump voters staying Republican.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
The Los Angeles Daily News began a running poll on who would win.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
The bubbly coalition-builder had long been the favorite in the race, leading McKinney by double digits in polls leading up to Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
He added that Cuerpo would take interim charge of the transport folio through to the election, which polls indicate the ruling Socialist party could lose.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
There were no ICE agents at polls, Department of Justice officials challenging voters, or federal agents forcing state and local election officials to set aside ballots from alleged noncitizens.
From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026
Although Talarico has led in recent public polls, the size of his victory was unexpected.
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2026
He took the lead in about half the Iowa polls and was only gaining steam as the caucuses approached.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
The decision matched the forecasts of four out of seven economists polled by The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Analysts polled by FactSet anticipate adjusted earnings of $8.05 a share.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
Analysts polled by FactSet expected 26 cents per share.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
In October, the U.S. is expected to show a scanty 59,0000 increase in new jobs, economists polled by the Wall Street Journal said.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
When the jury was polled by the incredulous judge, Carter was the only juror who recorded his vote as guilty.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
About 56% of voters nationally said data centers were a crucial or major factor in their picks for Congress, according to a national survey conducted by polling firm SSRS.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
In the months leading up to the vote, polling indicated that many Americans wanted Trump to focus more on their concerns about rocketing prices.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Though noteworthy, polling suggests Latino voters care more about results than his history-making win.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
At my polling place in Yonkers, N.Y., just across the northern border of the Bronx, I experienced something similar to what Free Expression contributor Howard Husock described earlier in the day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
I explained that I got this idea from the polling my friend Dick Dresner had done for the movie industry.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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