blackball

1 of 2

verb

black·​ball ˈblak-ˌbȯl 

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

: boycott

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

Synonyms

Verb

• dismiss
• kill
• refuse
• veto

Examples of blackball in a Sentence

Verb

She was blackballed by the sorority

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The reductive street code has blackballed Gunna in the rap game, with Offset and Roddy Ricch being the sole rapper collaborators on his two post-release albums. —Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025

Having exposed the existence of Task Force X at the end of the first season, Leota Adebayo has been blackballed by her mother, Amanda Waller, and thrown out again by her wife Keeya. —Scott Meslow, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025

Noun

For more than 20 years, apologists for Israel have sought to shame, blackball, and fire professors who criticize Israeli policy. —David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025

And Grey Sloan is number one on the blackball list. —Lincee Ray, EW.com, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for blackball

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

blackball

1 of 2 noun

black·​ball ˈblak-ˌbȯl 

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