Definition of 'poll'

poll

(poʊl )

Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense polls , present participle polling , past tense, past participle polled

1. countable noun

A poll is a survey in which people are asked their opinions about something, usually in order to find out how popular something is or what people intend to do in the future.

At least 60 per cent of the country wants the strikers to win, polls show.

We are doing a weekly poll on the president, and clearly his popularity has declined. [+ on]

The Socialist Party, which won a convincing victory in elections in June, has been losing support in the polls recently.

2. See also opinion poll, straw poll

3. verb [usually passive]

If you are polled on something, you are asked what you think about it as part of a survey.

More than 18,000 people were polled. [be VERB-ed]

Audiences were going to be polled on which of three pieces of music they liked best. [be V-ed + on]

More than 70 per cent of those polled said that they approved of his record as president. [VERB-ed]

Synonyms: question, interview, survey, sample More Synonyms of poll

4. plural noun

The polls means an election for a country's government, or the place where people go to vote in an election.

In 1945, Winston Churchill was defeated at the polls.

Voters are due to go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president.

The polls have closed in the Pakistan parliamentary elections.

Synonyms: election, vote, voting, referendum More Synonyms of poll

5. verb

If a political party or a candidate polls a particular number or percentage of votes, they get that number or percentage of votes in an election.

It was a disappointing result for the Greens who polled three percent. [VERB noun]

The result showed he had polled enough votes to force a second ballot. [VERB noun]

Synonyms: gain, return, record, register More Synonyms of poll

6. See also polling, deed poll

More Synonyms of poll

Video: pronunciation of
poll

poll in British English

(pəʊl )

noun

the casting, recording, or counting of votes in an election; a voting

the result or quantity of such a voting

a heavy poll

3. Also called: opinion poll

a canvassing of a representative sample of a large group of people on some question in order to determine the general opinion of the group

the results or record of such a canvassing

any counting or enumeration

a poll of the number of men with long hair

5. short for poll tax

a list or enumeration of people, esp for taxation or voting purposes

the striking face of a hammer

the occipital or back part of the head of an animal

verb (mainly tr)

to receive (a vote or quantity of votes)

she polled 10 000 votes

10.

to receive, take, or record the votes of

we polled the whole town

11.

to canvass (a person, group, area, etc) as part of a survey of opinion

12. mainly US

to take the vote, verdict, opinion, etc, individually of each member (of a jury, conference, etc)

13. (sometimes intr)

to cast (a vote) in an election

14. computing

(in data transmission when several terminals share communications channels) to check each channel rapidly to establish which are free, or to call for data from each terminal in turn

15.

to clip or shear

16.

to remove or cut short the horns of ( cattle)

Word origin

C13 (in the sense: a human head) and C17 (in the modern sense: a counting of heads, votes): from Middle Low German polle hair of the head, head, top of a tree; compare Swedish pull crown of the head

poll in American English

(poʊl )

noun

the head; esp., the crown, back, or hair of the head

an individual person, esp. one among several

a counting, listing, or register of persons, esp. of voters

a voting or expression of opinion by individuals

the amount of voting; number of votes recorded

6. US; [pl.]

a place where votes are cast and recorded

7. US

a canvassing of a selected or random group of people to collect information, or to attempt to discover public opinion

a report or record of the results of this

the blunt or flat end, as of an ax

verb transitive

to cut off or cut short

10.

to cut off or trim the wool, hair, horns, or branches of; specif., to pollard (a tree)

11.

to take or register the votes of

to poll a county

to require each member of (a jury, committee, etc.) to declare his or her vote individually

12.

to receive (a specified number or proportion of votes)

13.

to cast (a vote)

14.

to canvass in a poll (sense 7)

verb intransitive

15.

to vote in an election

Derived forms

poller (ˈpoller)

noun

Word origin

ME pol < or akin to MDu, top of the head, head

Examples of 'poll' in a sentence
poll

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He was leading the polls and placed at the centre of the stage. Opinion polls suggest the outcome is too close to call.It is little more than an opinion poll.His numbers in the polls have been dire, but they are rising.Why did the American election polls get it wrong?In elections, the polls are your eyes at the track. Nine out of ten nurses in a poll back the move, saying dogs especially encourage patients to be more physically active. Media workers dress the most casually, a poll of 2,000 people found.It came as a new poll showed 51 per cent of Scots do not want a second independence vote.He was one of the top ten most admired Americans in Gallup polling and he led presidential polls when people were asked.