as in vote
an event in which the electorate votes for or against a law that deals with a specific issue
They are having a referendum so the public can decide the controversial issue.
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Recent Examples of referendum
Last week, a judge dismissed a lawsuit initiated by former town officials seeking to overturn a budget referendum held last year.
—
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2026
Cities that have called withdrawal elections have until mid-March to call off the May referendums.
—Lilly Kersh, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
For the third consecutive year, the Lake Country School Board will ask voters to approve a referendum to try to resolve the district’s financial woes.
—Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 9 Jan. 2026
In 2011, voters in Boulder, Colorado, frustrated at Xcel Energy’s slow pace of decarbonization, passed a referendum ordering the creation of a municipal power system.
—Nick Bowlin, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referendum
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2026
Cities that have called withdrawal elections have until mid-March to call off the May referendums.
—Lilly Kersh, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
For the third consecutive year, the Lake Country School Board will ask voters to approve a referendum to try to resolve the district’s financial woes.
—Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 9 Jan. 2026
In 2011, voters in Boulder, Colorado, frustrated at Xcel Energy’s slow pace of decarbonization, passed a referendum ordering the creation of a municipal power system.
—Nick Bowlin, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referendum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referendum
Noun
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Commissioners appoint James Reyes city manager In a separate 4-1 vote, commissioners selected James Reyes as Miami's new city manager.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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By an 11-1 vote, a Miami-Dade County jury originally sentenced him to death, but that sentence was overturned in 2017 after a new state law ruled it unconstitutional for a death sentence to be imposed without a unanimous jury verdict, according to the court records.—
Nicole Acosta,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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According to the Academy's website, votes are cast through secret online ballots, with the results revealed during a live nomination announcement ahead of the annual ceremony.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
22 Jan. 2026
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Under the state constitution, local taxes must go on the ballot for voter approval.—
Susan Shelley,
Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Referendum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referendum. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
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