poll
1 Americannoun
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a sampling or collection of opinions on a subject, taken from either a selected or a random group of persons, as for the purpose of analysis.
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Usually polls. the place where votes are taken.
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the registering of votes, as at an election.
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the voting at an election.
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the number of votes cast.
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the numerical result of the voting.
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an enumeration or a list of individuals, as for purposes of taxing or voting.
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a person or individual in a number or list.
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the head, especially the part of it on which the hair grows.
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the back of the head.
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the rear portion of the head of a horse; the nape.
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the part of the head between the ears of certain animals, as the horse and cow.
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the broad end or face of a hammer.
verb (used with object)
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polls,
present (3rd person singular)
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polled,
past participle, past
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polling
present participle
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to take a sampling of the attitudes or opinions of.
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to receive at the polls as votes.
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to enroll (someone) in a list or register, as for purposes of taxing or voting.
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to take or register the votes of (persons).
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to deposit or cast at the polls as a vote.
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to bring to the polls, as voters.
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to cut short or cut off the hair, wool, etc., of (an animal); crop; clip; shear.
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to cut short or cut off (hair, wool, etc.).
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to cut off the top of (a tree); pollard.
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to cut off or cut short the horns of (cattle).
verb (used without object)
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polls,
present (3rd person singular)
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polled,
past participle, past
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polling
present participle
noun
noun
noun
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the casting, recording, or counting of votes in an election; a voting
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the result or quantity of such a voting
a heavy poll
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Also called: opinion poll.
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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
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the results or record of such a canvassing
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any counting or enumeration
a poll of the number of men with long hair
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short for poll tax
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a list or enumeration of people, esp for taxation or voting purposes
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the striking face of a hammer
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the occipital or back part of the head of an animal
verb
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to receive (a vote or quantity of votes)
he polled 10 000 votes
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to receive, take, or record the votes of
he polled the whole town
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to canvass (a person, group, area, etc) as part of a survey of opinion
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to take the vote, verdict, opinion, etc, individually of each member (of a jury, conference, etc)
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(sometimes intr) to cast (a vote) in an election
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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
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to clip or shear
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to remove or cut short the horns of (cattle)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pollsimple
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pollssimple
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have polledperfect
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has polledperfect
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am pollingprogressive
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are pollingprogressive
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is pollingprogressive
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have been pollingperfect progressive
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has been pollingperfect progressive
Past
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polledsimple
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had polledperfect
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was pollingprogressive
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were pollingprogressive
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had been pollingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of poll1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pol(le) “head (of a person or animal); a person,” from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German: “hair of the head, top of a tree or other plant”; akin to Danish puld, Swedish pull “crown (of the head)”
Origin of poll2
First recorded in 1800–05; from Greek polloí (as in hoi polloí “the many”); see poly-
Explanation
A poll is an election, or a survey of people's opinions. When people go to the polls, they vote. If you poll your classmates about their favorite foods, you survey them and take note of their opinions — in other words, they each cast a vote. This is also what happens when voters go to the polls, although they're voting for political candidates and their votes are anonymous. The original fourteenth century meaning of poll was "hair on the head" or just "head." This gradually evolved into "person," and the idea of "counting heads."
Vocabulary lists containing poll
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
More telling is a May YouGov poll that shows 71% of Americans “feel that the pace of AI development is moving too fast.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Poll after poll indicates that Republicans are suffering from an enthusiasm gap.
From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2026
More than two-thirds of Irish people do not welcome the visit, according to a Sunday Independent / Ireland Thinks poll reported last week.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
A July Pew Research poll found 54% of Americans were “very concerned” about electricity prices, up from 51% in January.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
This was not uncommon: The poll watchers were on hand to watch for irregularities, such as someone’s name improperly listed on the voter rolls or a change of address.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
So far there have been few polls on the Virginia amendment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
It would also rate USC higher in stature as well as in polls and championship considerations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
But Ossoff’s remark also commanded attention, feeding a boomlet that helped bump up his standing in polls of the hypothetical 2028 presidential primary.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
As exit polls put the Alternative for Germany's vote share at a thumping 44 percent, jubilant scenes erupted at a post-election party in Magdeburg, capital of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
For the first time in South African history, the black majority would go to the polls to elect their own leaders.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
The union has polled regions where Pratt performed well — from the Harbor to parts of the San Fernando Valley and Westside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
This beat a consensus of economists polled by The Wall Street Journal, who expected flat growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
So here are all 18 restaurant stocks in the S&P Composite 1500, ranked by the percentage of “buy” or equivalent ratings among analysts polled by LSEG.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Analysts polled by FactSet expect adjusted earnings of $3.31 a share on sales of $31.95 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Selden called for the jury to be polled.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
We are not trying to replace evidence with polling, nor to treat majority opinion as truth.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
An informal polling of the researchers interviewed for this article found that, yes, cat parents are likely to return the meows of their feline.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The polling organization said 62% approve of the prime minister’s performance, or up from a 51% level in August.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
In line with the sometimes defiant sense of local "Ossie pride", Siegmund has often ridden the iconic local Simson bike, including to the polling booth Sunday in his hometown of Tangermuende.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
In previous elections, there had been drinking and rowdiness around the polling places, but on this day everything was calm.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
