blackball

play

verb black·ball \ ˈblak-ˌbȯl \

Definition of blackball

transitive verb

1 :to vote against; especially :to exclude from membership by casting a negative vote

2 a :to exclude socially :ostracize

b :boycott

See blackball defined for English-language learners

Examples of blackball in a Sentence

the club secretly blackballs applicants who belong to that religion

Recent Examples of blackball from the Web

After that, Davis was essentially blackballed from college football coaching, finding work as a TV analyst.

— by walter villa, miamiherald, "Butch Davis faces most difficult resurrection project, ready to turn FIU around," 29 Aug. 2017
Kaepernick's supporters, including some who planned to protest at the NFL's headquarters in New York City on Wednesday, say the quarterback is being blackballed for his advocacy.

— jesse j. holland, chicagotribune.com, "NAACP wants meeting with NFL commissioner about Colin Kaepernick," 23 Aug. 2017
Colin Kaepernick isn’t a blackballed back-up quarterback.

— nathaniel friedman, GQ, "The Real Value of Colin Kaepernick," 15 Aug. 2017
Tommie Smith and John Carlos were blackballed, and faced a multitude of death threats in their time, even as their protest is remembered now as one of the most remarkable moments in Olympic history.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "No Country for Colin Kaepernick," 11 Aug. 2017
Good Samaritan J.Cole recently took a trip to San Quentin State Prison to meet with inmates who are serving life sentences and also voiced his support for NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who many feel is currently being blackballed by the NFL.

— nerisha penrose, Billboard, "J. Cole & Bas Makes Terminally Ill Fan's Dream Come True," 11 Aug. 2017
CLEVELAND, Ohio a NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says former Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick is not being blackballed.

— bud shaw, cleveland.com, "Should the Browns bring Colin Kaepernick to training camp? Bud vs. Doug," 31 July 2017
The quarterback, who opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers this past spring in the hopes of signing with another team, has been blackballed from the league, a side effect of kneeling during the national anthem last year.

— matt giles, Longreads, "The Silent Prayer That Derailed Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf’s NBA Career," 15 July 2017
A female political analyst claims she was blackballed after ending an affair with host Charles Payne.

— thr staff, The Hollywood Reporter, "What Matters in Hollywood Today," 7 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blackball.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of blackball

1550

blackball Synonyms

Synonyms

negative, down, kill, nix, shoot down, veto

Antonyms

confirm, ratify

Related Words

decline, disallow, disapprove, dismiss, refuse; blacklist

Near Antonyms

admit, allow, approve, assent (to), pass, sanction; elect, support

blackball

noun

Definition of blackball

1 :a small black ball for use as a negative vote in a ballot box

2 :an adverse vote especially against admitting someone to membership in an organization

See blackball defined for kids

Recent Examples of blackball from the Web

When there are too many swimmers for safe surfing, the blackball flag serves as a warning.

— julia herbst, Los Angeles Magazine, "5 Things You Didn’t Know about L.A.’s Iconic Lifeguard Towers," 13 July 2017

First Known Use of blackball

1763

BLACKBALL Defined for English Language Learners

blackball

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verb

Definition of blackball for English Language Learners

: to prevent (someone) from joining a group, club, etc., by voting against him or her

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See words that rhyme with blackball Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for blackball Spanish Central: Translation of blackball Nglish: Translation of blackball for Spanish speakers

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blackball

Definition of blackball

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BLACKBALL Defined for English Language Learners

blackball

Definition of blackball for English Language Learners

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