blackballed

past tense of blackball
as in dismissed
to reject by or as if by a vote he was disappointed to learn that he had been blackballed by the fraternity

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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 blackballed Kaepernick subsequently opted out of his contract with the 49ers and later in the year had received no contract offers; many of Kaepernick’s supporters suspected he was being blackballed because of his peaceful protests. Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 Kaepernick was blackballed from the NFL for his decision to kneel on the sideline during the playing of the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial injustice. Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 4 June 2026 Amazon Studios has been sued by a post-production vendor who alleges he was blackballed after refusing to pay kickbacks to an Amazon employee. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 May 2026 After being blackballed from the finance sector, Coop resorts to burglarizing the homes of those in his social circle and pawning the items to stay afloat. Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026 Divorced and unemployed, Coop gets blackballed from the finance sector entirely. Ryan Brennan april 1, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackballed
Verb
  • But that conviction was dismissed after the revelation that a juror in the trial had not disclosed a domestic violence incident in her own background in order to win a seat on the panel, The Denver Post reports.
    Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Defense attorneys also should not be able to reference the felony charges dismissed after video showed agents’ falsehoods.
    Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 1 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • In February, Trump appointee Vinay Prasad—a Kennedy ally—refused to even review the vaccine, despite objections from FDA staff and career officials, shocking Moderna and the larger biomedical community.
    Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Thursday's vote was along party lines, and came after Fauci refused to answer lawmakers' questions in a hearing last week about the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination.
    Eric McDaniel, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • That same day, the Houthis launched a flurry of attacks that reportedly killed and wounded dozens near the Yemen-Saudi border – sparking condemnation from Jordanian, Bahraini and Kuwaiti authorities.
    Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Investigations are ongoing into how cyanide found its way to an ecosystem where wild and domestic animals coexist and farms grow tomatoes and onions, but growers are disputing claims that cyanide from their tomatoes killed the elephants.
    ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Beshear vetoed that bill, which included a provision to reinstate tighter spending controls, but the legislature overrode his veto.
    Alex Acquisto, ProPublica, 30 July 2026
  • The governor then vetoed them, a move that surprised even the lawmakers who backed the legislation.
    Elle Meyers, CBS News, 29 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Blackballed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackballed. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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