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
Debasish Roy Chowdhury, TIME, 24 Apr. 2024
Rolling Stone first launched its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list in 2004, with a massive poll of artists, critics, and industry figures.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2024
In the previous newsletter, there were four polls designed to get a sense of how a majority of readers (there are enough readers of this newsletter to fill Dodger Stadium with people left waiting to get in) really feel about this team.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Garvey is far behind Schiff in the latest Berkeley-IGS poll, and trails Schiff in campaign cash on hand, according to reports through March 31.
—David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 23 Apr. 2024
Freelance writer Don Norcross and county-wide coaches participate in poll.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2024
In poll after poll, Americans say rising health-care costs are a top concern.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 20 Apr. 2024
The state almost always votes for the presidential winner, and in every current, public poll of the state, Trump is leading Biden.
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
The online poll opened at the beginning of April for Arizona residents to vote for their favorite license plate design and the winner will be announced on Saturday, April 20.
—Brenna Gauchat, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024
Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
To put that unpopularity into perspective, the last three incumbents to lose re-election all were polling better at this point in their presidencies than Biden is today.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
Crouch still polled at 12%, with the other three candidates trailing behind Doden.
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024
The survey conducted by Qualtrics in February polled nearly 3,000 homeowners and renters.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
Prices in March rose 3.5% on an annual basis, higher than the 3.4% expected by economists polled by financial data services company FactSet.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
At the deliberation’s end, participants (and the control group) are polled again on the measures.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2024
Economic concerns were top of mind for Californians when the Public Policy Institute polled adult residents in February.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
That second-place cluster also includes Chambers, who polled at 10%, indicating there isn't a clear alternative to Braun around which voters are coalescing.
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Noun
As India goes to polls, data points like these help megaphone Modi’s narrative of the country’s makeover into an economic powerhouse on his watch.
—Debasish Roy Chowdhury, TIME, 24 Apr. 2024
Rolling Stone first launched its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list in 2004, with a massive poll of artists, critics, and industry figures.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2024
In the previous newsletter, there were four polls designed to get a sense of how a majority of readers (there are enough readers of this newsletter to fill Dodger Stadium with people left waiting to get in) really feel about this team.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Garvey is far behind Schiff in the latest Berkeley-IGS poll, and trails Schiff in campaign cash on hand, according to reports through March 31.
—David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 23 Apr. 2024
Freelance writer Don Norcross and county-wide coaches participate in poll.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2024
In poll after poll, Americans say rising health-care costs are a top concern.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 20 Apr. 2024
The state almost always votes for the presidential winner, and in every current, public poll of the state, Trump is leading Biden.
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
The online poll opened at the beginning of April for Arizona residents to vote for their favorite license plate design and the winner will be announced on Saturday, April 20.
—Brenna Gauchat, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024
Verb
Green Party candidate Jill Stein polled at 3%, and independent candidate Cornel West was at 2%.
—Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024
To put that unpopularity into perspective, the last three incumbents to lose re-election all were polling better at this point in their presidencies than Biden is today.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
Crouch still polled at 12%, with the other three candidates trailing behind Doden.
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024
The survey conducted by Qualtrics in February polled nearly 3,000 homeowners and renters.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
Prices in March rose 3.5% on an annual basis, higher than the 3.4% expected by economists polled by financial data services company FactSet.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024
At the deliberation’s end, participants (and the control group) are polled again on the measures.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2024
Economic concerns were top of mind for Californians when the Public Policy Institute polled adult residents in February.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
That second-place cluster also includes Chambers, who polled at 10%, indicating there isn't a clear alternative to Braun around which voters are coalescing.
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poll.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 28 Apr. 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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