poll

1 of 2

noun

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

poll

2 of 2

verb

polled; polling; polls

transitive verb

1
a
: to cut off or cut short the hair or wool of : crop, shear
b
: to cut off or cut short (a material, such as wool)
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

intransitive verb

: to cast one's vote at a poll
pollee noun
poller noun

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
Noun
While Haley fell short of Trump in all but two nominating contests, polls showed her strength with suburban women and independents -- key groups in the general election. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2024 Trump’s statewide margin would be on par with what polls showed. Kendrick Marshall, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 The victory contributed to a five-game winning streak to finish the regular season that lifted UCLA to seventh in the country in this week’s Associated Press poll. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Early voting statewide results were not yet posted on the Texas Secretary of State’s website a little after 7 p.m., when polls closed. Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024 Securing the border and controlling immigration gives Trump the biggest issue advantage over Biden, according to an NBC News poll taken in January. Susan Page, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 Trump's popularity in the state hasn't wavered since his 2016 bid, and polls − including an exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University survey − showed him with a consistent and commanding 2-to-1 lead. Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2024 But, should Biden step aside, other prominent Democrats would fare even worse against Trump if the election were held today, according to a new poll. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024 Only 4% say gave that response in the latest Economist/YouGov poll. Karlyn Bowman, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
The spicy sequel consequently earned a glowing 94% on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes and an A grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore. Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 That could be bad news for the race’s other leading candidates, Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, both of whom have polled better with younger voters. John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024 The website polled travel and budget experts on the most affordable places to retire in the world on $1,000, and seven countries in total came out on top, including the abovementioned four. Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 29 Feb. 2024 The purpose of the primary election is to poll each party on their preferences. Tj Hutchinson, The Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2024 Haley also performed relatively better among college graduates and moderates, polling even with Trump among the first group and handily beating him among the latter. Jennifer De Pinto, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2024 Analysts polled by FactSet expect companies in the S&P 500 to report earnings growth of just under 4% for the fourth quarter. Damian J. Troise, Quartz, 23 Feb. 2024 Fahie’s defense attorneys urged the judge to bring the one juror and another panelist who also expressed misgivings back into the courtroom so each of them can be polled again about their original verdicts. Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024 The January survey polled 762 Schwab and TD Ameritrade clients who are active traders. Krystal Hur, CNN, 23 Feb. 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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pol, polle, from Middle Low German

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of poll was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near poll

Cite this Entry

“Poll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poll. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

poll

1 of 2 noun
1
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 verb
1
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
poller noun

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

More from Merriam-Webster on poll

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