suffrage

American  

[suhf-rij] / ˈsʌf rɪdʒ /

noun

• suffrages
  plural

1. the right to vote, especially in a political election.

2. a vote given in favor of a proposed measure, candidate, or the like.

3. Ecclesiastical. a prayer, especially a short intercessory prayer or petition.

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suffrage British  

/ ˈsʌfrɪdʒ /

noun

1. the right to vote, esp in public elections; franchise

2. the exercise of such a right; casting a vote

3. a supporting vote

4. a prayer, esp a short intercessory prayer

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suffrage Cultural  

1. The right to vote (see franchise). In the United States, the term is often associated with the women's movement to win voting rights. (See suffragist.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsuffrage
  noun
• presuffrage
  noun
• antisuffrage
  adjective
• prosuffrage
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• suffrages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of suffrage

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin suffrāgium “voting tablet, a vote cast in an assembly (for a law or candidate), an act of voting or the exercise of the right to vote, the decision reached by a vote, an expression of approval, influence or promotion on behalf of a candidate,” equivalent to Latin suffrāg(ārī) “to express public support, vote or canvass for, support” + -ium noun suffix; see -ium

Explanation

Suffrage is the right to vote in public elections. Universal suffrage means everyone gets to vote, as opposed to only men or property holders. Suffrage has nothing to do with "suffering" — unless the wrong person is elected. If you want to vote before you’re 18, fight for youth suffrage and get the law changed. In the meantime, once you turn 18, go vote! Kids grow up, of course, but it has been much harder for others to get the right to vote. For example, after trying for about a hundred years, American women were granted suffrage and voted for the first time in 1920. Think about that next time you’re tempted to stay home on election day.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

suffrage suffrages

It passed civil rights acts that guaranteed birthright citizenship and enacted Reconstruction Acts that secured black suffrage in the South.

From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026

He laid the basis for Conservatives to dominate British politics from 1886 to 1997, as his successors adapted to an emergent mass culture and wider suffrage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Somalians turned out in droves on Thursday to vote in local elections in the capital Mogadishu -- the first by universal suffrage in nearly 60 years -- with the city locked down amid security concerns.

From Barron's ● Dec. 25, 2025

The law requires that committee to review designs, and after a multiyear effort, it settled on five themes for the five quarters: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, abolition, suffrage and civil rights.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

The way Anthony saw things, each time one of their leaders married, it created one more obstacle, one more distraction that would interfere with the progress of suffrage and women’s rights.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Thomas Carlyle felt that "Ballot-boxes and Electoral suffrages" might prove a fatal threat to heroes.

From Time Magazine Archive

History does not inform of any discussion with reference to it, nor of any suffrages having been taken.

From The History of the Knights Templars, the Temple Church, and the Temple by Charles G. Addison

The holy angels would guard herself and the dear innocents, if angelic suffrages could be secured by never-ceasing fervent prayer.

From The Maid of Honour, Vol. 1 (of 3) A Tale of the Dark Days of France by Lewis Wingfield

While the two great national parties divided the suffrages of the people, North and South, everything in his eyes was dead.

From Abraham Lincoln: Was He A Christian? by John B. Remsburg

The latter were created by the suffrages of the people; in the former vacancies were filled by the College of Pontiffs itself.

From Church and State as Seen in the Formation of Christendom by T. W. (Thomas William) Allies