ballot

1 of 2

noun

bal·lot ˈba-lət

Synonyms of ballot next

: a small ball used in secret voting

: a sheet of paper used to cast a secret vote

: the action or system of secret voting

: the right to vote

: vote sense 1a

: the number of votes cast

: the drawing of lots

ballot

2 of 2

verb

balloted; balloting; ballots

intransitive verb

: to vote or decide by ballot

balloter noun

Did you know?

When people voted in ancient Athens, they dropped pebbles into an urn. Similarly, when voting was done by the people of Venice during the Renaissance, secrecy was assured by the use of little colored or marked balls. The Italian word for “little ball” is ballotta, from balla, meaning “ball,” and the diminutive suffix –otta. Now any kind of secret voting, by ball, piece of paper, or voting machine, is called a ballot. So is the right to vote itself.

Examples of ballot in a Sentence

Noun They cast their votes in a secret ballot. She was elected by secret ballot.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

Statewide, after national media for years showed images of thieves ransacking drug stores, Californians approved a ballot measure that tightened penalties on theft. —

Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024 The Legislature voted to put the measure on the 2024 ballot during the 2023 session. —

Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 6 Nov. 2024

Verb

Early and mail-in voting has been underway since Oct. 19 with only isolated reports of balloting errors. —

Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2024 To ballot selfie, or not to ballot selfie, that is the question. —

Sam Woodward, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ballot

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian ballotta, from Italian dialect, diminutive of balla ball — more at balloon

First Known Use

Noun

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1603, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of ballot was in 1549

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ballot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballot. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

ballot

1 of 2 noun

bal·lot ˈbal-ət

: a small ball or sheet of paper used to cast a secret vote

: the action or system of voting

: the right to vote

: the number of votes cast

ballot

2 of 2 verb

: to vote or decide by ballot

Etymology

Noun

from Italian ballotta "little ball (used in voting)," from balla "ball"

Word Origin

Small objects have long been used as a means of tallying votes. In ancient Greece, a word for "pebble," psēphos, came to designate any voting token, and then to mean simply "vote," from the practice of dropping a pebble into one of two urns as decisions were made in public assemblies. In medieval Venice, small balls were used in public lotteries and elections; in one such lottery, members of the city's Great Council would draw gold and silver balls from vases to determine nominating committees for officeholders. The word for "small ball" in the Venetian form of Italian was ballotta, which was extended to other tokens used in drawing lots and voting, such as scraps of linen or paper. Familiarity with Venetian customs led to the adoption of the word as ballot in English.

Last Updated: 12 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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ballot

noun

verb

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Synonyms

Examples of ballot in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near ballot

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition