blackball 1 of 2

verb

ˈblak-ˌbȯl How to pronounce blackball (audio)
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

blackball

2 of 2

noun

1
as in veto

Related Words

Dissimilar Words
2
as in banishment

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Dissimilar Words

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
In an ugly break with tradition, three of Herbst’s colleagues blackballed his two appointees from serving on city boards in April 2025. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 May 2026 Even a popular New York City venue allegedly uses it to blackball people its millionaire owner considers adversaries. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
Even a popular New York City venue allegedly uses it to blackball people its millionaire owner considers adversaries. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for blackball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackball
  1. dismiss
  2. veto
  3. banishment
  4. kill
  5. con
  6. ostracism
  7. refuse
  8. refusal
Verb
  • Ben-Gvir dismisses concerns that such policies would cement Israel’s status as a pariah state.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Lower courts had dismissed the case because Asian American students were not underrepresented at the magnet schools compared with the pool of students that applied.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismiss
Noun
  • The veto’s limits Under these rules, trading platforms do not need a company’s permission to offer tokenized versions of its shares.
    — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Charlotte Mayor Robert Harrington’s historic veto held Monday after the City Council declined to challenge it.
    — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of veto
Noun
  • In a memo later Monday morning, the White House TV pool had been suspended given CNN’s banishment.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Lucas and her attorneys with the Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian legal organization, assert that her ownership of the property shields her from banishment.
    — Savannah Peters, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of banishment
Verb
  • Hundreds of Palestinians have been attacked and a few have been killed this olive harvest alone, which started in late September, rights groups have said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Police were investigating what caused the pickup truck to barrel through a soccer field, killing a man and a child.
    — Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of kill
Noun
  • Pros & cons 5% cash back rewards on category of choice each month for Chime Prime™ members.
    — Dan Avery, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Running errands and a real estate con What follows comes from the referee’s report and the probable cause affidavits after Morin and Corcoran’s arrests.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of con
Noun
  • Indeed, any ambitious scientist had to be in the good graces of these Big Players or risk financial ostracism and effective banishment from the halls of Big Science.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 29 July 2026
  • Expect the backlash, posing risks of fandom ostracism for any significant animator seemingly endorsing AI, to play out at late June’s Annecy Festival.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 1 June 2026
Definition of ostracism
Verb
  • Officers said Marvin repeatedly refused instructions to move out of the robot's path.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Others seemed meek, with downcast eyes that refused to meet the camera.
    — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of refuse
Noun
  • The refusal has to be enforced in the part of the system that does not get rewritten every sprint.
    — Murali Rajendran, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Opposite him is Nouri, the idealistic doctor, whose refusal to enforce a Sharia court order puts his life in jeopardy.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of refusal

Browse Nearby Words

black-a-vised
blackball
blackballed
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Cite this Entry

“Blackball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackball. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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