What does "vote" mean?
A formalized choice on legally relevant measures such as employment or appointment to office or a proceeding about a legal dispute.
Vote
/vəʊt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A formalized choice on legally relevant measures such as employment or appointment to office or a proceeding about a legal dispute.
- Grammar: vote is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: ballot, suffrage, absentee voting, acceptance.
- Useful contrasts: abstain, abstaining, disenfranchisement.
- Usage evidence: Now you've come of age, you have the right to vote.
How to use "vote"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "vote" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "vote" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "vote" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "vote" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "vote" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ballot" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "vote", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A formalized choice on legally relevant measures such as employment or appointment to office or a proceeding about a legal dispute.
"The city council decided the matter should go to public vote."
- 2 A person from Votia or of Votic descent.
- 3 the opinion of a group as determined by voting wordnet
- 4 An act or instance of participating in such a choice, e.g., by submitting a ballot.
"The Supreme Court upheld the principle of one person, one vote."
- 5 a choice that is made by counting the number of people in favor of each alternative wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 An ardent wish or desire; a vow; a prayer. obsolete
"Jol[ante]. In you, Sir, / I live; and when, or by the Courſe of Nature, / Or Violence you muſt fall, the End of my / Devotions is, that one and the ſame Hour / May make us fit for Heaven. // Server. I join with you / In my votes that way: […]"
- 7 a legal right guaranteed by the 15th amendment to the US Constitution; guaranteed to women by the 19th amendment wordnet
- 8 A formalized petition or request. obsolete
- 9 the total number of voters who participated wordnet
- 10 Any judgment of intellect leading to a formal opinion, a point of view. obsolete
- 11 a body of voters who have the same interests wordnet
- 12 Any judgment of intellect leading not only to a formal opinion but also to a particular choice in a legally relevant measure, a point of view as published.
"dissenting vote (i.e. in particular the differing opinion published with a judicial judgment considered as a source of information)"
Verb
- 1 To cast a vote; to assert a formalized choice in an election. intransitive
"Q: Did you vote last month? A: Yes. I voted for John Smith, and it's a shame that he lost; you can't blame me for the mess we're in now."
- 2 express one's preference for a candidate or for a measure or resolution; cast a vote wordnet
- 3 To choose or grant (some objective) by means of a vote, or by general consent. transitive
"The directors voted an increase in R&D spending."
- 4 bring into existence or make available by vote wordnet
- 5 To exercise one's voting right upon (a ballot or a share of stock). transitive
"vote your ballot"
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 express a choice or opinion wordnet
- 7 express one's choice or preference by vote wordnet
- 8 be guided by in voting wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Now you've come of age, you have the right to vote."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "vote"?
Common synonyms include: ballot, suffrage, absentee voting, acceptance, adherence, admiration.
How do you use "vote" in a sentence?
Now you've come of age, you have the right to vote.
How do you pronounce "vote"?
Pronounced /vəʊt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Latin vōtum, a form of voveō (“I vow”) (cognate with Ancient Greek εὔχομαι (eúkhomai, “to vow”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ- (“to promise, to vow”). Doublet of vow.
Etymology 2
From German Wote, ultimately from Votic vadʹdʹa, vadʹdʹalain (“Votian”). Compare Estonian vadjalane.