Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense polls, present participle polling, past tense, past participle polled
1. countable noun
A poll is a survey in which people are asked their opinions about something, usually in order to find out how popular something is or what people intend to do in the future.
At least 60 per cent of the country wants the strikers to win, polls show.
We are doing a weekly poll on the president, and clearly his popularity has declined. [+ on]
The Socialist Party, which won a convincing victory in elections in June, has beenlosing support in the polls recently.
2. See also opinion poll, straw poll
3. verb [usually passive]
If you are polledon something, you are asked what you think about it as part of a survey.
More than 18,000 people were polled. [beVERB-ed]
Audiences were going to be polled on which of three pieces of music they liked best. [beV-ed + on]
More than 70 per cent of those polled said that they approved of his record as president. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: question, interview, survey, sample More Synonyms of poll
4. plural noun
The polls means an election for a country's government, or the place where people go to vote in an election.
In 1945, Winston Churchill was defeated at the polls.
Voters are due to go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president.
The polls have closed in the Pakistan parliamentary elections.
Synonyms: election, vote, voting, referendum More Synonyms of poll
5. verb
If a political party or a candidate polls a particular number or percentage of votes, they get that number or percentage of votes in an election.
It was a disappointing result for the Greens who polled three percent. [VERB noun]
The result showed he had polled enough votes to force a second ballot. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: gain, return, record, register More Synonyms of poll
6. See also polling, deed poll
More Synonyms of poll
poll in British English
(pəʊl)
noun
1.
the casting, recording, or counting of votes in an election; a voting
2.
the result or quantity of such a voting
a heavy poll
3. Also called: opinion poll
a.
a canvassing of a representative sample of a large group of people on some question in order to determine the general opinion of the group
b.
the results or record of such a canvassing
4.
any counting or enumeration
a poll of the number of men with long hair
5. short for poll tax
6.
a list or enumeration of people, esp for taxation or voting purposes
7.
the striking face of a hammer
8.
the occipital or back part of the head of an animal
verb(mainly tr)
9.
to receive (a vote or quantity of votes)
she polled 10 000 votes
10.
to receive, take, or record the votes of
we polled the whole town
11.
to canvass (a person, group, area, etc) as part of a survey of opinion
12. mainly US
to take the vote, verdict, opinion, etc, individually of each member (of a jury, conference, etc)
13. (sometimes intr)
to cast (a vote) in an election
14. computing
(in data transmission when several terminals share communications channels) to check each channel rapidly to establish which are free, or to call for data from each terminal in turn
15.
to clip or shear
16.
to remove or cut short the horns of (cattle)
Word origin
C13 (in the sense: a human head) and C17 (in the modern sense: a counting of heads,votes): from Middle Low German polle hair of the head, head, top of a tree; compare Swedish pull crown of the head
poll in American English
(poʊl)
noun
1.
the head; esp., the crown, back, or hair of the head
2.
an individual person, esp. one among several
3.
a counting, listing, or register of persons, esp. of voters
4.
a voting or expression of opinion by individuals
5.
the amount of voting; number of votes recorded
6. US; [pl.]
a place where votes are cast and recorded
7. US
a.
a canvassing of a selected or random group of people to collect information, or to attempt to discover public opinion
b.
a report or record of the results of this
8.
the blunt or flat end, as of an ax
verb transitive
9.
to cut off or cut short
10.
to cut off or trim the wool, hair, horns, or branches of; specif., to pollard (a tree)
11.
a.
to take or register the votes of
to poll a county
b.
to require each member of (a jury, committee, etc.) to declare his or her vote individually
12.
to receive (a specified number or proportion of votes)
13.
to cast (a vote)
14.
to canvass in a poll (sense 7)
verb intransitive
15.
to vote in an election
Derived forms
poller (ˈpoller)
noun
Word origin
ME pol < or akin to MDu, top of the head, head
Examples of 'poll' in a sentence
poll
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
He was leading the polls and placed at the centre of the stage.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Opinion polls suggest the outcome is too close to call.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is little more than an opinion poll.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
His numbers in the polls have been dire, but they are rising.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Why did the American election polls get it wrong?
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
In elections, the polls are your eyes at the track.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Nine out of ten nurses in a poll back the move, saying dogs especially encourage patients to be more physically active.
The Sun (2016)
Media workers dress the most casually, a poll of 2,000 people found.
The Sun (2016)
It came as a new poll showed 51 per cent of Scots do not want a second independence vote.
The Sun (2017)
He was one of the top ten most admired Americans in Gallup polling and he led presidential polls when people were asked.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Yet elsewhere in the country polls were rising in support of conflict.
Oliver Poole BLACK KNIGHTS: On the Bloody Road to Baghdad (2003)
Polls show that support for a change has plummeted following the royal visits.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We are not in the business of winning popularity polls.
Bethune, Helen Positive Parent Power (1991)
Sitting governments always claw themselves back in the polls as election day nears.
The Sun (2014)
The most interesting part of opinion polls is often the bottom.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The website is working on a new poll to decide the dullest town.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Polls clearly show that nobody else has any sympathy for them.
The Sun (2009)
There is likely to be a lot of attention on opinion polls and focus groups.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
LET'S get a reality check on these election polls.
The Sun (2010)
And there was opinion poll evidence to support the view.
Wright, Vincent The Government and Politics of France (1989)
All the polls back up his belief that the opposition will win.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
So we turn out in smaller numbers for local polls than for general elections.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In fact there recently was a poll to find the player of the season and he won by a distance.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Our poll shows the country agrees.
The Sun (2012)
Nine months earlier polls had recorded a clear lead for leaving and we looked as if we were heading for the exit.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The highprofile role has worked, with successive polls finding the prince more popular than the king.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The little-known academic came from last place in the polls to win the first round of voting.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Polls are due to open on Thursday.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Opinion polls consistently show that just one in three Scots voters support independence.
The Sun (2013)
So who and what are the current contenders, polled high by people who have not yet seen them?
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Scotland had its poll recently.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Strictly is only officially a ballroom dance competition; unofficially, it is a weekly poll of celebrity popularity.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
poll
British English: poll /pəʊl/ NOUN
A poll is a survey in which people are asked their opinions about something.
Polls show that 70% of the time it is women who decide which film to see on a date.
American English: poll
Arabic: إِقْتِرَاع
Brazilian Portuguese: pesquisa levantamento
Chinese: 选举投票
Croatian: anketa
Czech: anketa
Danish: rundspørge
Dutch: opiniepeiling
European Spanish: encuesta de opinión
Finnish: mielipidemittaus
French: sondage
German: Abstimmung
Greek: σφυγμομέτρηση
Italian: votazione
Japanese: 世論調査
Korean: 여론조사
Norwegian: gallupundersøkelse
Polish: głosowanie
European Portuguese: sondagem levantamento
Romanian: sondaj
Russian: голосование
Latin American Spanish: encuesta de opinión
Swedish: undersökning
Thai: การสำรวจความคิดเห็นจากคนส่วนมาก
Turkish: kamuoyu yoklaması
Ukrainian: опитування
Vietnamese: bầu cử
British English: poll VERB
If you are polled on something, you are asked what you think about it as part of a survey.
More than 18,000 people were polled.
American English: poll
Brazilian Portuguese: consultar
Chinese: 对…进行民意测验
European Spanish: encuestar
French: interroger
German: befragen
Italian: intervistare
Japanese: 世論調査をする
Korean: 설문에 응하다
European Portuguese: consultar
Latin American Spanish: encuestar
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All related terms of 'poll'
clod poll
a lump of earth or clay
deed poll
a deed made by one party only, esp one by which a person changes his or her name
exit poll
a poll taken by an organization by asking people how they voted in an election as they leave a polling station
poll tax
a tax levied per head of adult population
Red Poll
a red hornless short-haired breed of beef and dairy cattle
Gallup Poll
a sampling by the American Institute of Public Opinion or its British counterpart of the views of a representative cross section of the population , used esp as a means of forecasting voting
poll rating
a measurement of a politician's popularity among the electorate , obtained by canvassing a representative sample of people
poll taker
a person who conducts opinion polls
straw poll
A straw poll is the unofficial questioning of a group of people to find out their opinion about something.
advance poll
(in an election ) a poll held prior to election day to permit voters who expect to be absent then to cast their ballots
opinion poll
An opinion poll involves asking people's opinions on a particular subject , especially one concerning politics .
poll watcher
a representative of a political party or of an organization running a candidate who is assigned to the polls on an election day to watch for violations of the laws that regulate voting , campaigning , etc
by deed poll
In Britain , if you change your name by deed poll , you change it officially and legally.
public opinion poll
a poll taken by sampling a cross section of the public in an effort to predict election results or to estimate public attitudes on issues
pass degree
an ordinary degree without honours
polly
a feminine name
community charge
(formerly in Britain ) a flat-rate charge paid by each adult in a community to his or her local authority in place of rates
[people] (in opinion poll) 向 ... 提问(問) (xiàng ... tíwèn)
(= number of votes) 获(獲)得选(選)票 (huòdé xuǎnpiào)
Derived Forms
pollsn pl (= election) 选(選)举(舉)投票 (xuǎnjǔ tóupiào) : to go to the polls[voters]去投票 (qù tóupiào) [government]进(進)行选(選)举(舉) (jìnxíng xuǎnjǔ) , the polls have closed投票结(結)束了 (tóupiào jiéshù le)
1 (noun)
Definition
the questioning of a random sample of people to find out the general opinion
Polls show that the party is losing support.
Synonyms
survey
According to the survey, overall world trade has also slackened.
figures
count
At the last count the police had 247 people in custody.
sampling
returns
ballot
tally
census
canvass
Gallup Poll
(public) opinion poll
2 (noun)
Definition
the casting, recording, or counting of votes in an election
In 1945, Churchill was defeated at the polls.
Synonyms
election
Poland's first fully free elections for more than fifty years
vote
They took a vote and decided not to do it.
voting
referendum
a referendum on independence
ballot
The result of the ballot will not be known for two weeks.
plebiscite
The future of the country should be decided by plebiscite.
1 (verb)
Definition
to question (a person, etc.) as part of an opinion poll
More than 18,000 people were polled.
Synonyms
question
A man is being questioned by police.
interview
The police interviewed the driver, but they had no evidence to go on.
survey
Only 18 percent of those surveyed opposed the idea.
sample
ballot
The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.
canvass
The survey canvassed the views of almost 80 economists.
2 (verb)
Definition
to receive (a certain number of votes)
He had polled enough votes to force a second ballot.
Synonyms
gain
return
record
The test records the electrical activity of the brain.
register
The meter registered loads of 9 and 10 kg.
tally
Additional synonyms
in the sense of ballot
Definition
the practice of selecting a representative or course of action by voting
The result of the ballot will not be known for two weeks.
Synonyms
vote,
election,
voting,
poll,
polling,
referendum,
show of hands
in the sense of ballot
Definition
to vote or ask for a vote from
The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.
Synonyms
poll,
canvass
in the sense of canvass
Definition
the activity of canvassing
Synonyms
poll,
survey,
investigation,
examination,
scrutiny,
tally
Synonyms of 'poll'
poll
Explore 'poll' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of canvass
Definition
to find out the opinions of (people) by conducting a survey
The survey canvassed the views of almost 80 economists.
Synonyms
poll,
study,
examine,
investigate,
analyse,
scan,
inspect,
sift,
scrutinize
in the sense of count
At the last count the police had 247 people in custody.
Synonyms
calculation,
poll,
reckoning,
sum,
tally,
numbering,
computation,
enumeration
in the sense of interview
Definition
to question (someone)
The police interviewed the driver, but they had no evidence to go on.
Synonyms
question,
interrogate,
examine,
investigate,
ask,
pump,
grill (informal),
quiz,
cross-examine,
cross-question,
put the screws on (informal),
catechize,
give (someone) the third degree (informal)
in the sense of plebiscite
Definition
a direct vote by all the electorate on an issue of national importance
The future of the country should be decided by plebiscite.
Synonyms
vote,
poll,
referendum,
ballot
in the sense of record
Definition
to show or register
The test records the electrical activity of the brain.
Synonyms
register,
show,
read,
contain,
indicate,
give evidence of
in the sense of referendum
Definition
a direct vote of the electorate on a question of importance
a referendum on independence
Synonyms
public vote,
poll,
ballot,
popular vote,
plebiscite
in the sense of register
Definition
to show on a scale or other measuring instrument
The meter registered loads of 9 and 10 kg.
Synonyms
indicate,
show,
record,
read,
display
in the sense of vote
Definition
a choice made by a participant in a shared decision, esp. in electing a candidate