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
1
2
as in banishment
Related Words
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
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026
Kaepernick was not issued a fine or suspension by the NFL, though no teams signed him as a 29-year-old free agent, leading to debate over whether he was blackballed by the league for his stance.
—Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for blackball
Verb
Enter Sheila, a street magician blackballed by the local boys club who wows Lincoln with her tips-only act.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026
Kaepernick was not issued a fine or suspension by the NFL, though no teams signed him as a 29-year-old free agent, leading to debate over whether he was blackballed by the league for his stance.
—Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for blackball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackball
Verb
-
Then in September, Newsom's Legal Affairs Secretary David Sapp sent an email to JUSD administrators on what appeared to include a copy of the state's motion to dismiss that lawsuit, as seen in public records obtained by Fox News Digital.—
Jackson Thompson OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
Curiel also declined to dismiss causes of action against three of the deputy’s supervisors, who are accused of knowing the female deputy failed to return to the scene and had dissuaded Quinones from providing assistance.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The European Union’s foreign ministers agreed Monday to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers over violence against Palestinians after Hungary’s new government lifted the country’s veto.—
Beatriz Ríos,
Washington Post,
11 May 2026
-
The most ambitious legislative attempt at curbing presidential war-making was the War Powers Resolution of 1973, passed by Congress over a veto by President Richard Nixon.—
James Cramer,
Baltimore Sun,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
The appeals court ruled in September 2025 that Mid Vermont Christian must be allowed to participate in state athletics, after two years of banishment had passed.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Like there was a demon in his lungs, fighting the last bit of banishment.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One of the high-profile cases to emerge from last year’s immigration crackdown was the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas González, a father of two shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic stop last September in Franklin Park.—
Claire Malon,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
The 2022 crash killed sheriff’s recruit Alejandro Martinez-Inzunza and seriously injured 10 others.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Participants weighed the pros and cons of, for example, holograms and virtual reality headsets in Holocaust education.—
Toby Axelrod,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
-
Here, a weed control expert weighs the pros and cons of different ways to get rid of poison ivy and shares the most effective way to kill poison ivy effectively and permanently.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
During the global debt crisis of the 1980s, the choice between debt servicing by means of an IMF program and ostracism from global markets was put on broad display.—
Sven van Mourik,
The Dial,
31 Mar. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
But when the symptoms refused to fade, an MRI revealed something far worse.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Others rely on patience, research, and the fact that the ground itself refuses to be reduced to one easy headline.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The girlfriend told police the argument was over her refusal to take him to a liquor store.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Threats of refusal to renew our home insurance policies without compliance to Zone Zero regulations make this issue immediately important to virtually all of us.—
The San Diego Union Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blackball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackball. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
