ballot
[noun]
Synonyms: vote, election, poll, polling, voting

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Related Words: Australian ballot, Indiana ballot, Massachusetts ballot, office-block ballot, office-group ballot, party-column ballot, secret ballot

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English Thesaurus: election, ballot, referendum, the polls, show of hands, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. bal‧lot¹ /ˈbælət/ noun
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Italian; Origin: ballotta, from balla ( ⇒ balloon¹); because small balls were used for voting]

1. [uncountable and countable] a system of voting, usually in secret, or an occasion when you vote in this way:
The party leader is elected by secret ballot.
Workers at the plant held a ballot and rejected strike action.

2. [countable] a piece of paper on which you make a secret vote Synonym : ballot paper:
Only 22% of voters cast their ballots.

3. the ballot the total number of votes in an election Synonym : the vote:
He won 54% of the ballot.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. ballot² verb [intransitive and transitive]

1. to ask someone to vote for something
ballot on/over
Train drivers are being balloted on industrial action.

2. to vote for something
ballot for
Staff balloted for strike action yesterday.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

ballot
noun
ADJ. secret | open | postal | national | first, second | leadership | strike
VERB + BALLOT carry out, hold | organize | cast Only 40% of eligible voters cast their ballots.
BALLOT + NOUN box | paper | rigging
PREP. at a/the ~ They voted against him at the second ballot.
by ~ The jury cast their vote by secret ballot.
in a/the ~ The club members decided in a ballot to suspend the captain.
on a/the ~ I voted for her on the first ballot.
~ for a ballot for the Conservative leadership
~ on a ballot on the new contracts
~ over a ballot over strike action

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

election an occasion when people choose a government or leader by voting:
the American presidential election
South Africa held its first multi-racial elections in 1994.
ballot /ˈbælət/ an occasion when the members of an organization vote by marking what they want on a piece of paper, especially to make sure that it is secret:
The result of the ballot showed that nurses were not in favour of a strike.
referendum /ˌrefəˈrendəm/ an occasion when everyone in a country votes on an important political subject:
In the Danish referendum, the people voted ‘no’ to joining the European single currency.
the polls the process of voting in a political election – used especially in news reports:
4,500,000 voters went to the polls in eight provinces to elect six governors.
show of hands an act of voting informally for something by the people in a group raising their hands:
May I have a show of hands from all those in favour of the proposal?
vote [intransitive and transitive] to show which person or party you want, or whether you support a plan, by marking a piece of paper, raising your hand etc:
I’ve voted Democrat all my life.
You can vote for your favourite singer.
A majority of the people voted for independence.
In tomorrow’s election, many young people will be voting for the first time.
elect [transitive] to choose a leader, representative, or government by voting, so that they become the new leader, representative etc:
He was elected mayor of London.
the newly-elected government
I think we should start by electing a new chairman.
go to the polls if a country or voters go to the polls, they vote in an election - used especially in news reports:
The US goes to the polls in November.
The economic crisis could well be a decisive factor when voters go to the polls this autumn.
take a vote if a group of people at a meeting take a vote, they vote about something:
We should take a vote on whether or not to accept their offer.
They took a vote and picked Bernard.
cast your vote formal to mark a piece of paper, call a telephone number etc in order to vote:
The first votes have been cast in the country’s general election.
Click here to cast your vote.
veto [transitive] to vote against something that other people have agreed on, so that it cannot happen:
The president has the right to veto any piece of legislation.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

vote [intransitive and transitive] to show which person or party you want, or whether you support a plan, by marking a piece of paper, raising your hand etc:
I’ve voted Democrat all my life.
You can vote for your favourite singer.
A majority of the people voted for independence.
In tomorrow’s election, many young people will be voting for the first time.
elect [transitive] to choose a leader, representative, or government by voting, so that they become the new leader, representative etc:
He was elected mayor of London.
the newly-elected government
I think we should start by electing a new chairman.
go to the polls if a country or voters go to the polls, they vote in an election - used especially in news reports:
The US goes to the polls in November.
The economic crisis could well be a decisive factor when voters go to the polls this autumn.
take a vote if a group of people at a meeting take a vote, they vote about something:
We should take a vote on whether or not to accept their offer.
They took a vote and picked Bernard.
cast your vote formal to mark a piece of paper, call a telephone number etc in order to vote:
The first votes have been cast in the country’s general election.
Click here to cast your vote.
ballot [transitive] to ask the members of an organization to vote on something in order to decide what to do:
The union will ballot its members on whether to go ahead with the strike action.
veto [transitive] to vote against something that other people have agreed on, so that it cannot happen:
The president has the right to veto any piece of legislation.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲