ballot box

noun

1

: a box for receiving ballots

2

: ballot sense 2a

In a republic, reform had to come about through the ballot box rather than by force.

—Mary Beth Norton et al.

see also stuff the ballot box

Examples of ballot box in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For a party that has suffered its share of shocks at the ballot box, there was much to be said for playing it safe, avoiding risk. —Oliver Kay, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026

What wasn’t determined via a referendum more than two years in the making was whether the ballot box victory is a knockout blow to the construction of large vacation homes. —Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026

Voters delivered a clear rebuke at the ballot box, handing parliamentary seats to opposition parties and stripping the LDP of its majority. —Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026

Norihiro Yamaguchi, lead Japan Economist at Oxford Economics, said that without Komeito’s organizational support, a considerable number of LDP candidates could struggle at the ballot box. —Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ballot box

• aftershocks
• chatterbox
• equinox
• goldilocks
• hollyhocks
• interlocks
• orthodox
• paradox
• tomahawks
• balks
• blocks
• blocs