poll
[noun]
Synonyms:
- canvass, ballot, census, count, sampling, survey
- vote, figures, returns, tally, voting
[verb]
Synonyms:
- tally, register
- question, ballot, canvass, interview, sample, survey

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English Thesaurus: ask, inquire/enquire, demand, interview, poll, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. poll¹ W3 /pəʊl $ poʊl/ noun
[Date: 1600-1700; Origin: poll 'head' (13-19 centuries), from Middle Low German; from the idea of counting heads]

1. [countable] the process of finding out what people think about something by asking many people the same question, or the record of the result Synonym : opinion poll, survey:
A recent poll found that 80% of Californians support the governor.
Polls indicate that education is the top issue with voters.
Labour is ahead in the polls.
The latest public opinion poll showed that 25% of us consider ourselves superstitious.
conduct/carry out/do a poll
a poll conducted by ‘USA Today’
poll on
a poll on eating habits
poll of
a poll of 1,000 people

2. go to the polls to vote in an election:
Ten million voters went to the polls.

3. [singular] British English the process of voting in an election, or the number of votes recorded:
Labour won the election with 40% of the poll.
The result of the poll won’t be known until around midnight.

4. the polls the place where you can go to vote in an election:
The polls will close in an hour.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. poll² verb [transitive]

1. to ask a lot of people the same questions in order to find out what they think about a subject:
18% of the women we polled said their husbands had a drinking problem.

2. to get a particular number of votes in an election:
Labour polled just 4% of the vote.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

poll
noun
I. survey of opinion
ADJ. local, national | opinion | political, popularity | exit Exit polls suggest a big Labour majority, but the true picture will only be known after the count.
straw I took a straw poll among my colleagues to find out how many can use chopsticks.
latest, recent
VERB + POLL carry out, conduct, take | lead (in) | publish
POLL + VERB indicate sth, reveal sth, show sth, suggest sth
POLL + NOUN rating, results
PREP. in the ~s success in the polls
PHRASES be ahead/behind in the polls With a week to go until polling day, the Conservatives are still behind in the polls.
a lead in the polls A tougher budget might have widened Labour's lead in the polls.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

poll
II. (usually the polls) voting in an election
ADJ. presidential
VERB + POLL go to The country goes to the polls on May 7th to elect local councillors.
POLL + VERB open | close Counting will begin as soon as the polls close.
PREP. at the ~s She was defeated at the polls.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

poll

carry out/take/do a poll
A similar poll was carried out among academics in the United States.
A poll taken last month gave the Democrats a seven-point lead.
conduct a poll formal (=carry out a poll)
The poll was conducted with a sample of 1,023 adults.
a poll shows/indicates/suggests something
Polls show that older voters are most concerned about economic issues.
a poll finds something
Our poll found that 29 percent rated his performance as good.
poll results/findings
The poll results are very encouraging.
a poll rating (=showing how popular someone is)
His poll ratings keep slipping.
an opinion poll (=that measures what people think about something)
A recent opinion poll showed strong support for the government.
an exit poll (=when people are asked how they have just voted)
The exit polls said that 46 percent of women had voted for Obama.
a popularity poll (=measuring how popular someone is)
In most popularity polls, he is in fourth or fifth place.
a local/national/statewide etc poll
Local polls show him leading by only two or three points.
sb’s lead in the polls
Labour soon regained its lead in the polls.
sb’s standing in the polls (=how popular a poll shows them to be)
The President's standing in the polls declined sharply.
be ahead/leading in the polls
The good news is that we are ahead in the polls.
be behind/trailing in the polls
At the moment the Democrats are trailing in the polls.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

ask to speak or write to someone to get an answer:
Did you ask about the price?
They asked me a lot of questions.
inquire/enquire /ɪnˈkwaɪə $ -ˈkwaɪr/ formal to ask someone for information about something:
I’m writing to inquire about the job that was advertised in yesterday’s ‘Times’.
demand especially written to ask a question in a firm or angry way:
‘Why didn’t you call me?’, she demanded.
interview to ask someone questions, to find out if they are suitable for a job, or as part of a television or radio interview:
When they interviewed me for the job, they didn’t mention the salary.
David Letterman has interviewed all the stars.
poll to officially ask a lot of people in order to find out their opinion on something:
Over 1,000 people were polled for the report.
64% of the people we polled said that they approved of the way the government had handled the crisis.
question/interview to ask someone a lot of questions in order to get information about a crime:
He was arrested and questioned by the police.
Detectives are interviewing the father of the missing girl.
interrogate to ask someone a lot of detailed questions, often in an aggressive way:
The men were interrogated by the US authorities for over six hours.
cross-examine to ask someone questions in court about the statements they made:
A second lawyer began to cross-examine the witness.
somebody is helping the police with their inquiries formal used in news reports when saying that the police are asking someone questions about a crime – especially when they think this person is guilty, but have not yet charged them:
He is helping the police with their inquiries in connection with the murder of Diane Jones.
ask for to tell someone you want them to give you something:
I’m going to ask for a pay rise.
order to ask for food or drink in a restaurant:
We ordered some more coffee.
Have you ordered yet?
request formal to ask for something:
The pilot requested permission to land.
I enclose the information you requested.
beg/plead to ask for something in an urgent way, because you want it very much and will be very unhappy if you do not get it:
He begged me for some money.
I’m not going to plead for forgiveness.
nag/pester to keep asking someone for something, in an annoying way:
She keeps nagging me for a new phone.
People were pestering him for his autograph.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲