popular vote
Americannoun
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the vote for a U.S. presidential candidate made by the qualified voters, as opposed to that made by the Electoral College.
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the vote for a candidate, issue, etc., made by the qualified voters, as opposed to a vote made by elected representatives.
Etymology
Origin of popular vote
An Americanism dating back to 1830–40
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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.
"The BJP has been a major force in Bengal for three successive elections, consistently polling around 39% of the popular vote," says Rahul Verma, who is a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research.
From BBC • May 4, 2026
Before discussing the Payne proposal further, let me describe Arizona’s long and unique history of putting methods of execution to a popular vote.
From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026
In the Buenos Aires election, the leading Peronist party, the Justicialists, won 47% of the popular vote.
From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025
In Sri Lanka, President Mahinda Rajapaksa—hailed by supporters as a war hero for helping end a decadeslong civil war—won re-election with nearly 60% of the popular vote.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025
“It’s an outrage!” says McGuinty, leaning slightly toward Norma now that he sees he’s got the popular vote.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
