blackball 1 of 2

Definition of blackballnext
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

Relevance

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
Last week, Google made sweepstakes ineligible for advertising certification, effectively blackballing them. Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 10 Nov. 2025 In the past, the Young Money rapper has accused Roc Nation of blackballing her and also owing her $200 million. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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 See All Example Sentences for blackball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackball
Verb
  • Johnson dismissed the criticism.
    Jack Fink, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Red flags worth walking away from include dismissing symptoms without investigation, attributing everything to stress or anxiety, discouraging second opinions and making patients feel rushed.
    Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The legislature attempted, but ultimately failed, to override that veto.
    Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
  • The Minneapolis council attempted to override his veto last week, but fell short of the super-majority needed to do so.
    Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • But how Andrew’s de facto banishment would affect his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, wasn’t known.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Both view the Lebanese government as still completely incapable of disarming Hezbollah, though both were shocked at the new assertiveness of Beirut as seen by Tuesday’s banishment of Iran’s ambassador.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • And years later, when the group splintered into increasingly militant factions, some took part in a disastrous bank robbery that killed an innocent guard and two police officers—three men who were just doing their jobs that day, and who left behind their own kids, their own families.
    Zayd Ayers Dohrn, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Three people were killed when a tour helicopter broke apart near Honolulu in April 2019, and that December seven people died - including three children - when one crashed in turbulent weather near the famed Na Pali Coast.
    JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • What are the pros and cons of private investments?
    Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The pros and cons of fiber-optic guidance Ukrainian forces have pushed standard FPV drones to ranges of 50 to 60 kilometers by integrating Starlink links, relay drones, and mothership launch platforms.
    Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In some cases, people who take these risks experience potentially negative social consequences such as disapproval, ostracism and career setbacks.
    Catherine A. Sanderson, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Invisible exiles lose families—parents, siblings, partners, children—and endure social ostracism.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Increasingly, judges are opting to sanction lawyers who submit briefs tainted by AI errors, Moylan said, sometimes fining those who refuse to admit wrongdoing or referring them to their state’s bar association for disciplinary actions.
    Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Like the impish anti-romance that crumbles around it, the movie’s twist is both transgressive enough to be pleased with itself and also rooted in a reality that refuses to be dismissed as a bad joke.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Woods was arrested and charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test, Budensiek said.
    Melissa Gaffney, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
  • No, the lines at Logan so far have not been bad, or not nearly as bad as airports elsewhere, which are all due to the stubborn Democrat refusal to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
    Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 28 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blackball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackball. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on blackball

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster