black·ball
ˈblak-ˌbȯl 
blackballed; blackballing; blackballs
1
: to vote against
especially
: to exclude from membership by casting a negative vote
1
: a small black ball for use as a negative vote in a ballot box
2
: an adverse vote especially against admitting someone to membership in an organization
Synonyms
Examples of blackball in a Sentence
Verb
She was blackballed by the sorority
Recent Examples on the Web
Philip Elliott / Houston, TIME, 26 Oct. 2024
Since making the announcement in the summer of 2019, Jay was criticized for getting in bed with a league that allegedly blackballed San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for choosing to kneel during the national anthem in protest of police brutality.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2024
Lincee Ray, EW.com, 27 Sep. 2024
Campaign finance records reveal Trump’s cash crunch Donald Trump’s recent threat to blackball Republican donors who support his opponents was about more than just loyalty.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blackball 
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Verb
His allies around Washington have drawn up a detailed agenda, one that Harris and her allies have successfully weaponized to the point that some Project 2025’s authors have already been blackballed from any access to Trump.
—Philip Elliott / Houston, TIME, 26 Oct. 2024
Since making the announcement in the summer of 2019, Jay was criticized for getting in bed with a league that allegedly blackballed San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for choosing to kneel during the national anthem in protest of police brutality.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2024
Noun
And Grey Sloan is number one on the blackball list.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 27 Sep. 2024
Campaign finance records reveal Trump’s cash crunch Donald Trump’s recent threat to blackball Republican donors who support his opponents was about more than just loyalty.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blackball
Dictionary Entries Near blackball
Cite this Entry
“Blackball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blackball. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blackball
1 of 2 noun
black·ball
ˈblak-ˌbȯl
1
: a small black ball used to vote against a person
2
: a vote against a person
blackball
2 of 2 verb
: to vote against
especially
: to keep (a person) from joining something by voting against
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