poll
Other forms: polls; polling; polled
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."
Definitions of poll
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the counting of votes (as in an election)
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type of:
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count, counting, enumeration, numeration, reckoning, tally
the act of counting; reciting numbers in ascending order
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count, counting, enumeration, numeration, reckoning, tally
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get the votes of
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vote in an election at a polling station
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type of:
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vote
express one's preference for a candidate or for a measure or resolution; cast a vote
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vote
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an inquiry into public opinion conducted by interviewing a random sample of people
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synonyms:
canvass, opinion poll, public opinion poll, survey
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types:
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exit poll
a poll of voters as they leave the voting place; usually taken by news media in order to predict the outcome of an election
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straw poll, straw vote
an unofficial vote taken to determine opinion on some issue
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exit poll
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get the opinions (of people) by asking specific questions
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types:
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circularise, circularize
canvass by distributing letters
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type of:
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survey
make a survey of; for statistical purposes
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circularise, circularize
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the top of the head
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the part of the head between the ears
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type of:
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top, top side, upper side, upside
the highest or uppermost side of anything
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top, top side, upper side, upside
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convert into a pollard
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a tame parrot
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synonyms:
poll parrot
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type of:
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parrot
usually brightly colored zygodactyl tropical birds with short hooked beaks and the ability to mimic sounds
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parrot
Pronunciation
US
/poʊl/
UK
/pəʊl/
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