ballot

1 of 2

noun

bal·​lot ˈba-lət 

1

a

: a sheet of paper usually preprinted with candidates and questions and used to cast a secret vote especially in an election

marked their ballots

a mail-in ballot

The question will be on the ballot in November.

also : something (such as an electronic interface) that functions like a paper ballot

b

: a small ball used in secret voting especially in the past

c

: an electronic form used to cast a vote

a campaign to have people vote for their favorite local businesses using an online ballot

2

a

: the action or system of secret voting

cast their votes in a secret ballot

b

: the right to vote

were not denied access to the ballot

c

: vote sense 1a

… I would cast my ballot as an informed citizen …

—Calvin Trillin

3

a

: the number of votes cast

She won 55 percent of the ballot.

b

: election sense 1a

claimed the ballot was rigged

… the measure … was approved on a second ballot …

—William F. Reed

4

: the drawing of lots

ballot

2 of 2

verb

balloted; balloting; ballots

intransitive verb

: to vote or decide by ballot

… members of the House, which earlier had balloted even more massively against the president … voted in their own localized political interests …

—The Pittsburgh Press

balloter noun

Did you know?

When people voted in ancient Athens, they dropped pebbles into an urn. Similarly, when voting was done by the people of Venice during the Renaissance, secrecy was assured by the use of little colored or marked balls. The Italian word for “little ball” is ballotta, from balla, meaning “ball,” and the diminutive suffix –otta. Now any kind of secret voting, by ball, piece of paper, or voting machine, is called a ballot. So is the right to vote itself.

Synonyms of ballot

Noun

• vote

Examples of ballot in a Sentence

Noun

They cast their votes in a secret ballot.

She was elected by secret ballot.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Referenda can be advisory or binding; so far, in the Illinois primary for 2026, all referenda on ballots appear to be advisory referenda. —Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026

Funds for the purchase came from a 2018 ballot measure that added a 1% increase to the town's hotel and lodging tax, while using the revenue to fund affordable and workforce housing programs and services. —Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 19 Feb. 2026

Verb

Gallen, who recorded consecutive top-five finishes in the NL Cy Young Award balloting in 2022 and ’23, seemed aligned for a massive payday after registering another strong season in 2024. —Zack Meisel, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026

Robert, who turns 29 in August, made his major league debut with Chicago in 2020, winning a Gold Glove and finishing second to Kyle Lewis in balloting for AL Rookie of the Year. —CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian ballotta, from Italian dialect, diminutive of balla ball — more at balloon

First Known Use

Noun

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1603, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ballot

• absentee ballot
• Australian ballot
• ballot box
• cast one's ballot
• down-ballot
• rig the ballot
• secret ballot
• short ballot
• stuff the ballot box

Rhymes for ballot

• alate
• fallot
• mallet
• palate
• palette
• pallet
• shallot

Kids Definition

ballot

1 of 2 noun

bal·​lot ˈbal-ət 

1

: a small ball or sheet of paper used to cast a secret vote

2

a

: the action or system of voting

b

: the right to vote

3

: the number of votes cast

ballot

2 of 2 verb

: to vote or decide by ballot

Etymology

Noun

from Italian ballotta "little ball (used in voting)," from balla "ball"

Word Origin

Small objects have long been used as a means of tallying votes. In ancient Greece, a word for "pebble," psēphos, came to designate any voting token, and then to mean simply "vote," from the practice of dropping a pebble into one of two urns as decisions were made in public assemblies. In medieval Venice, small balls were used in public lotteries and elections; in one such lottery, members of the city's Great Council would draw gold and silver balls from vases to determine nominating committees for officeholders. The word for "small ball" in the Venetian form of Italian was ballotta, which was extended to other tokens used in drawing lots and voting, such as scraps of linen or paper. Familiarity with Venetian customs led to the adoption of the word as ballot in English.