straw poll

British  

noun

1. an unofficial poll or vote taken to determine the opinion of a group or the public on some issue

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straw poll Cultural  

1. Originally, a small, informal opinion survey. Today, a straw poll is generally a large-scale, scientifically determined public opinion survey based on a random sample of the population. Straw polls are commonly used to test public opinion of candidates running for office.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

straw poll

The third- and second-place candidates in the Aug. 21 straw poll could be promising.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

The campaign for the next United Nations secretary-general is under way, and the latest straw poll of Security Council members has three South or Central Americans on top.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

The UN's most powerful body, the Security Council, meets Friday to hold another straw poll to gauge the popularity of a growing field of contenders to lead the embattled organization.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

Ms. Noem and Mr. Ramaswamy each garnered 15 percent of the vote in the straw poll.

From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2024

A straw poll of the football public would surely see the Heart of Midlothian man win that contest in a landslide.

From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2023