referendum
[noun]
Synonyms: public vote, plebiscite, popular vote

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

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

ref‧e‧ren‧dum /ˌrefəˈrendəm/ noun (plural referenda /-də/ or referendums) [uncountable and countable]
[Date: 1800-1900; Language: Modern Latin; Origin: Latin referre; ⇒ refer]
when people vote in order to make a decision about a particular subject, rather than voting for a person
referendum on
a referendum on independence
The city council agreed to hold a referendum on the issue in November.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

referendum
noun
ADJ. planned, proposed | popular | national, nationwide | constitutional, independence
VERB + REFERENDUM conduct, hold The referendum will be held on July 14th.
put sth to The proposals were put to a referendum.
call The president called a referendum that he hoped would confirm him in power.
call for, demand, propose The group called for a referendum on the death penalty.
oppose | boycott The unions urged people to boycott the referendum.
declare, organize | be adopted by, be approved by, be confirmed by, be endorsed by a new constitution adopted by referendum
REFERENDUM + VERB show sth A popular referendum showed that the majority of people want reform.
REFERENDUM + NOUN proposal The Democrats rejected the referendum proposal.
campaign | result
PREP. in a/the ~ The issue will be decided in a national referendum.
~ on a referendum on a new constitution
PHRASES declare a referendum fair/illegal UN monitors declared the referendum fair.
the result/results of a referendum

[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 ▲