blackballing

verb

present participle of blackball
as in dismissing
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

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 blackballing Social media rumors swirled that the league was blackballing her because of her activism. — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 4 May 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackballing
  1. dismissing
  2. refusing
  3. killing
  4. vetoing
Verb
  • Department of Defense Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael addressed Luckey's involvement with the Pentagon in comments to CNBC on Tuesday, dismissing any concerns about a potential conflict of interest.
    — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Vance’s comments last week came in response to Cruz openly discussing a potential 2028 run and dismissing a question about whether the vice president had already locked down the party’s nomination with two years to go.
    — Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismissing
Verb
  • But a few months after her first birthday, Karuna began refusing meals.
    — Raj Panjabi, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Trump, in a Truth Social post, accused the media of hypocrisy for allegedly refusing to cover past purchases of Russian energy by the European Union.
    — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of refusing
Verb
  • In a small Idaho town, a young mother is accused of killing her young twins.
    — Glenn Thrush Eric Schmitt Liam Stack Tim Balk, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Lack of preparation Eight weeks after the UAE withdrawal, the US and Israel launched a war on Iran, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of killing
Verb
  • In her speech, Strada criticized President Barack Obama for vetoing JASTA.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • But even if the bill passes both chambers, the White House earlier said that the President’s advisers would recommend vetoing it.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 27 July 2026
Definition of vetoing

Browse Nearby Words

blackballed
blackballing
blackballs
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Cite this Entry

“Blackballing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackballing. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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