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
Republicans have owned the issue for years, and polls say most Americans see the border as a serious problem and among the most important issues facing the country. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024 Last week’s latest poll by the Brenthurst Foundation predicts the ANC will only get 39% of the vote. Paul Tilsley, Fox News, 17 Mar. 2024 And yet, the same polls show that a majority of Russians believe that starting the war was justified and that Russia will ultimately win. Anna Nemtsova, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2024 The fact is, polls continue to get election results right the vast majority of the time. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Last month, in a poll by the independent Levada Center, 75 percent of respondents said that the country was moving in the right direction — more than at any time since the question was first asked in 1996. Valerie Hopkins, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 The one issue where independents break from the overall poll findings is the Russia-Ukraine war: independents oppose (48%-44%) sending additional military aid to Ukraine, while all voters nationally support it (53%-39%). David Paleologos, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 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
Verb
Analysts polled by FactSet expect full-year earnings of $7.04 on revenue of $31.68 billion. Michelle Chapman, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 The unusual dispute surfaced just after the jurors found Fahie guilty last month and the judge polled each of them on their verdicts before discharging them. Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Some 82% of those polled use WhatsApp as their primary communications tool, followed by social media at 74%. Angelica Mari, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Fewer than half of the Democrats polled supported teaching about gender identity in elementary school, or using a transgender student’s pronouns at that age without asking the parents. Sarah Mervosh, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024 After polling some of Hollywood’s top fashion and beauty insiders, The Hollywood Reporter presents the Red Carpet Essentials Awards. Natalie Alcala, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024 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

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 29 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!