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
The founder of Changing Lanes, a charismatic veteran named Delbert, asked for a show of hands: How many people definitely wanted to do long-haul trucking?
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Emily Gogolak, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
After ascertaining by a show of hands that half of those present had never even run a 5K, Itzler began with a story of overcoming.
—Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
At the town hall in Montego Bay, a show of hands indicated most attendees supported the move.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 5 May 2023
At one conference in 2011 there was even a show of hands to see what fraction of the audience believed that the Lorimer burst was real.
—Duncan Lorimer, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2018
Emily Gogolak, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
After ascertaining by a show of hands that half of those present had never even run a 5K, Itzler began with a story of overcoming.
—Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
At the town hall in Montego Bay, a show of hands indicated most attendees supported the move.
—Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 5 May 2023
At one conference in 2011 there was even a show of hands to see what fraction of the audience believed that the Lorimer burst was real.
—Duncan Lorimer, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'a show of hands.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near a show of hands
Cite this Entry
“A show of hands.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20show%20of%20hands. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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