1
: head
2
a
: the top or back of the head
b
: nape
3
: the broad or flat end of a striking tool (such as a hammer)
4
a(1)
: the casting or recording of the votes of a body of persons
(2)
: a counting of votes cast
b
: the place where votes are cast or recorded
—usually used in plural
at the polls
c
: the period of time during which votes may be cast at an election
d
: the total number of votes recorded
a heavy poll
5
a
: a questioning or canvassing of persons selected at random or by quota to obtain information or opinions to be analyzed
b
: a record of the information so obtained
polled; polling; polls
1
2
a
: to cut off or back the top of (something, such as a tree)
specifically
: pollard
b
: to cut off or cut short the horns of (cattle)
3
a
: to receive and record the votes of
b
: to request each member of to declare a vote individually
poll the assembly
4
: to receive (votes) in an election
5
: to question or canvass in a poll
6
: to check (devices, such as several computer terminals sharing a single line) in sequence for messages waiting to be transmitted
: to cast one's vote at a poll
Synonyms
Examples of poll in a Sentence
Noun
The magazine conducted a poll to find out the favorite 100 movies of all time.
A recent poll shows a decrease in the number of teenagers who smoke.
The polls are open until 8:00 tonight.
Verb
About half of the people polled had tried smoking.
The conservative candidate polled more than 10,000 votes in the last election.
Recent Examples on the Web
Danny Davis, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
In fact, Army hasn’t defeated Notre Dame since 1958 and hasn’t defeated a team ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll since upsetting No. 9 Penn State in 1963.
—Tim Casey, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
Since joining the race, Harris has been polling ahead of Trump in the district, leading him by 12 points in a New York Times/ Siena College poll released last week.
—Maya Marchel Hoff, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for poll 
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Noun
The season's first USA Today Sports coaches poll was also revealed on the same day.
—Danny Davis, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
In fact, Army hasn’t defeated Notre Dame since 1958 and hasn’t defeated a team ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll since upsetting No. 9 Penn State in 1963.
—Tim Casey, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
Methodology: The survey polled 17,372 workers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the US and was fielded between Aug. 2-30, 2024.
—Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
Since joining the race, Harris has been polling ahead of Trump in the district, leading him by 12 points in a New York Times/ Siena College poll released last week.
—Maya Marchel Hoff, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for poll
Articles Related to poll
Dictionary Entries Near poll
Cite this Entry
“Poll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poll. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
poll
1 of 2 noun1
b
: the top or back of the head
2
a
: the casting or recording of votes
b
: the place where votes are cast or recorded
—usually used in plural
at the polls
3
: a questioning of persons to obtain information or opinions
poll
2 of 2 verb1
a
: to take and record the votes of
b
: to request each member of to declare his or her vote individually
poll a jury
2
: to receive votes in an election
the candidate polled 10,000 votes
3
: to question (people) or cover (an area) in a poll
4
: to cast one's vote at a poll
Medical Definition
poll
1 of 3 noun
: the head or a part of it
especially
: the region between the ears of some quadrupeds (as a horse)
poll
2 of 3 transitive verb
: to cut off or cut short the horns of (cattle)
poll
3 of 3 adjective
: having no horns
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