vote of confidence

American  

[voht uhv kon-fi-duhns] / ˈvoʊt əv ˈkɒn fɪ dəns /

Also confidence vote

noun

1. 1. (in a legislative or similar body) a formal vote, especially after the introduction of a crucial and controversial piece of policy, to determine whether the majority of members are still prepared to allow the party or person in power to continue governing.

      The Opposition called for a vote of confidence in parliament yesterday.

      With the Tory Party deeply divided, the PM lost a vote of confidence on his Irish policy and had to resign.

   2. a favorable outcome of such a vote for the person or party in power.

      The Knesset gave a slim vote of confidence to the eight-party coalition government.

2. any formal vote in favor of a person or party already in power, a policy or program, etc..

   Despite record low turnout, he called the election result a vote of confidence for his party.

3. any expression of support.

   Your subscription to our magazine is a vote of confidence for our advocacy work.

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Etymology

Origin of vote of confidence

First recorded in 1730–40

Example Sentences

A partnership with Apple would be a further vote of confidence in Intel’s artificial-intelligence position, Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

Manele has since avoided a vote of confidence, which would eject him and his government from power if he loses.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

It was, though, hardly a vote of confidence to exclude £64m summer signing Viktor Gyokeres, the striker meant to make the difference, for Arsenal's biggest game of the season so far.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

Another Blue Owl private-credit fund earlier this week successfully sold $400 million worth of bonds in a possible vote of confidence for the firm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

In his greatest vote of confidence, he asked Burnham & Root to build an entry portal for the Union Stock Yards that would reflect the yards’ growing importance.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson