a show of hands

noun phrase

: an occurrence in which people put a hand in the air to indicate that they want something, agree with something, etc.

Let me see a show of hands: how many people want a piece of cake?

Examples of a show of hands in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bromley, displeased, asked for a show of hands from anyone who believed that this was the most interesting story Jamie had to tell about himself. — Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Bollinger also asked residents to display their opinion with a show of hands. — Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2026

During the discussion, emergency physician Craig Spencer asked for a show of hands. — Aaron Everitt, STAT, 10 Apr. 2026

Ultimately, the vote came down to a show of hands, and the new bylaws passed by a clear majority. — Haajrah Gilani, Houston Chronicle, 7 Apr. 2026

When questioned about a potential offering, Salter asked for a show of hands of how many CEOs in the room were both happy and publicly listed. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 10 Nov. 2025

Get a show of hands of who will guarantee to be there for their parents, and for how many hours each week. — Kat McGowan, NPR, 18 Oct. 2025

The moderator requested a show of hands for who supports Hochul for reelection in New York’s next gubernatorial election, scheduled for November 3, 2026. — Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025

If more than 10 indicate a desire to speak (by a show of hands) the chair or board may want to reduce the time to two minutes per speaker to allow as many as possible to speak. — Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for a show of hands

• misunderstands
• ands
• bands
• brands
• glands
• grands
• lands
• mands
• rands
• sands
• stands
• strands