show of hands

American  

noun

1. an indication of approval, disapproval, volunteering, etc., on the part of a group of people, usually made by each assenting person raising a hand.

---

show of hands British  

noun

1. the raising of hands to indicate voting for or against a proposition

---

show of hands Idioms  

1. An informal vote made by participants holding up one hand each to indicate a choice, as in Let's have a show of hands—how many want the next meeting on a Sunday? [Late 1700s]

---

Etymology

Origin of show of hands

First recorded in 1740–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

show of hands

Dutton described the show of hands as a "very confronting scene" while Albanese said he has brought inflation down, wages up and added that interest rates were starting to fall, according to ABC.

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2025

Mr. Diaz-Balart at one point asked for a show of hands on who had actually seen the exhibit.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 23, 2023

In a show of hands, the assembly voted overwhelmingly to lift the parliamentary immunity of Belgian lawmaker Marc Tarabella and Italian Andrea Cozzolino.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2023

By a show of hands, the assembly backed proposals to lift the immunity of Italian Andrea Cozzolino and Belgian Marc Tarabella, both of the centre-left Socialists and Democrats.

From Reuters ● Feb. 2, 2023

Levin, at one point, went into a seventh-grade music class with seventy kids in it and asked for a show of hands on when the students woke up.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• ballot
• choice
• majority
• poll
• referendum
• tally