blackball 1 of 2

as in to dismiss
to reject by or as if by a vote he was disappointed to learn that he had been blackballed by the fraternity

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

blackball

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blackball
Verb
Among the keys to its success, labor groups said, is the Accord’s ability to blackball factories that refuse to remediate safety violations from selling goods to signatory brands. Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019 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
Noun
Rumors persist of prospective members being blackballed for simply asking about membership. Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025 Clark has previously testified on the stand that after falling out with Combs, the Revolt TV founder tried to blackball her. Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 29 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for blackball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackball
Verb
  • The actor denied the allegations, and the case was later dismissed, per The Hollywood Reporter.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Those who dismissed intersectionality saw such policies as little more than allowing the disadvantaged to commit crimes without consequences to make up for past inequities, afflicting crime victims from the same disadvantaged communities.
    John Scott Lewinski, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Congress previously voted to repeal the law, but then-President Joe Biden blocked the repeal with a presidential veto.
    Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Now that the process has been initiated, the Security Council must vote within 30 days on a resolution to continue Iran‘s sanctions relief, requiring at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, Russia, China, Britain, or France to pass.
    Reuters, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • It’s spoken by Jaques, a cranky courtier from the entourage of Duke Senior, living in banishment in the Forest of Arden.
    Matthew Gurewitsch, Air Mail, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Much has changed at Wolves since his effective banishment.
    Steve Madeley, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Over the past two months, Texans have used green ribbons with bows to commemorate the lives lost in the July 4 Hill Country flooding, which killed more than 100 people, including more than two dozen girls and counselors from Camp Mystic in Hunt.
    Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Jerry Jeudy makes far too much money to wreck possessions with two drops, one that killed a drive and another that resulted in a crushing interception.
    Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Those logical advantages for the pros column can outweigh some of those in the cons column, such as the perception of new sources of stress.
    Elizabeth Baskin, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Tatum does stretch his acting abilities in scenes where Jeffrey’s con-man charisma is underlaid with desperation and deception, but there’s nothing in Cianfrance and Kirt Gunn’s screenplay to seriously challenge Tatum’s persona as a leading man.
    Katie Rife, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In ancient humans and other primates, reputational damage can bar access to food and mates, incite physical confrontations and, in extreme cases, lead to potentially fatal ostracism.
    Clarissa Brincat, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2025
  • Bans, booing and ostracism The labeling of Israel as a pariah state internationally does not seem to bother the government.
    Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 23 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Anisimova dialed in, desperately refusing to give Osaka any openings.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The airline reserves the right to refuse transportation to plus-size passengers who cannot be safely accommodated.
    Zach Wichter, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This isn’t to say that this refusal is a good thing; many haven’t rejected these aspects of the American Dream by choice.
    Alice Lassman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
  • According to de Veer, the refusal of his request to include his extended version of the theme that included the popular motif later in the show was one of the main sources of contention during the making of Season 3.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blackball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackball. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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