blackball

1 of 2

verb

black·​ball ˈblak-ˌbȯl How to pronounce blackball (audio)
blackballed; blackballing; blackballs

transitive verb

1
: to vote against
especially : to exclude from membership by casting a negative vote
2
a
: to exclude socially : ostracize
b

blackball

2 of 2

noun

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

Examples of blackball in a Sentence

Verb She was blackballed by the sorority
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In a subsequent October complaint, Combs said Diageo had blackballed him from the spirit industry over his racial discrimination claims, which have been put on ice until next spring. Nicole Childers, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2023 First, blackballing a bunch of college students based on their political views is abhorrent. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 19 Oct. 2023 In October 2017, Kaepernick filed a collusion grievance arguing that NFL teams had blackballed him because of his protests. Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2023 Would Raytheon still want to be associated with a tour that, if the Golfweek report is accurate, essentially blackballed Raytheon? Brad Townsend, Dallas News, 7 June 2023 Ian Hancock: If you were blackballed, nobody would visit you. The Foretold Team, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2023 And in many cases, blackballing can last a long time. The Foretold Team, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2023 The staffers spoke on the condition of anonymity because of concerns about retaliation or blackballing in the small world of American museums. Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2023 To them, Mo’Nique’s behavior was the exact reason she’d been blackballed following her 2010 Best Supporting Actress Oscar win for Precious. Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 4 Apr. 2023
Noun
Campaign finance records reveal Trump’s cash crunch Donald Trump’s recent threat to blackball Republican donors who support his opponents was about more than just loyalty. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024 Maybe there’s an alternate universe where musicians are currently banding together against AI, opting to blackball anyone complicit in its rapid ascension from a viral sideshow into a thorn in the industry’s side. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 4 May 2023 Photos of Jay-Z hamming it up with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who many see as the face of Kaepernick’s blackball, were off-putting, to put it politely. Jonathan Jones, SI.com, 21 Aug. 2019 Supporters of the proposed law say letting landlords blackball people who qualify for federal vouchers is partly responsible for San Diego’s stark racial segregation, with minorities dominating southern areas and whites dominant in northern areas. David Garrick, sandiegouniontribune.com, 2 July 2018 Pay college players, blackball Colin Kaepernick, baseball is too slow. Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 24 Apr. 2018 Even with Kaepernick grayballed (blackball-lite?), the trickle of protesters became a torrent, thanks to the president. Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2018 There is a reason why fashionable members clubs admit freelance graphic designers who live hand to mouth and blackball superstar bankers. Janan Ganesh, Town & Country, 8 Dec. 2017 But the idea that this situation is anything but a blackball is ridiculous. Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 5 Oct. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blackball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blackball was in 1550

Dictionary Entries Near blackball

Cite this Entry

“Blackball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blackball. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

blackball

1 of 2 noun
black·​ball ˈblak-ˌbȯl How to pronounce blackball (audio)
1
: a small black ball used to vote against a person
2
: a vote against a person

blackball

2 of 2 verb
: to vote against
especially : to keep (a person) from joining something by voting against

More from Merriam-Webster on blackball

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