blackball
verb
black·ball
| \ ˈblak-ˌbȯl
\
\
blackballed;
blackballing;
blackballs
Definition of blackball
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to vote against
especially
: to exclude from membership by casting a negative vote
blackball
nounDefinition of blackball (Entry 2 of 2)
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
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Synonyms & Antonyms for blackball
Synonyms: Verb
down, kill, negative, nix, shoot down, veto
Antonyms: Verb
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Examples of blackball in a Sentence
Verb
the club secretly blackballs applicants who belong to that religionRecent Examples on the Web: Verb
But the online version of the paper, now behind a partial paywall, earns money from subscriptions and foreign advertisers who are not worried about being blackballed by Beijing. — Andrew Higgins, New York Times, "A Hong Kong ‘Troublemaker’ With a Clean Conscience," 23 Aug. 2019 Kaepernick left the 49ers at the end of the season but was never signed by another team, leading to accusations that the NFL was blackballing him. — Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, "Jay-Z partners with the NFL on music and social justice strategies," 13 Aug. 2019 Zhu posted a copy of the email from state director Laurie DeJack and said she was being blackballed for refusing to try on a hijab in 2018. — Nick Givas, Fox News, "Former Miss Michigan: 'They said I was racist,' took title away without specifying 'big issue' with Twitter post," 23 July 2019 But the stench from the incident was such that the NFL, hardly known as the playground of the pure and virtuous, all but blackballed an All-Pro-caliber player in the aftermath. — Dave Doyle, MMA Junkie, "Greg Hardy can keep winning, but we can't move on from his past just yet | Opinion," 21 July 2019 Most business school professors would probably advise against getting blackballed by your own party right out of the gate when starting a political consulting firm. — NBC News, "'Blacklisted' political consultants profit from Democrats' civil war," 7 July 2019 In the bigger picture, the battle between labor and capital rages through these pages: strikes, intimidation, blackballing, anti-union propaganda and violence punctuate the plot. — Katherine A. Powers, WSJ, "‘Deep River’ Review: In the Heart of the Forest Primeval," 28 June 2019 His grievance alleged that the NFL and its 32 teams had effectively blackballed him because of his role creating the protest movement. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "Colin Kaepernick, Eric Reid Resolve Collusion Grievances With NFL," 15 Feb. 2019 The Post notes that several players, including Torrey Smith, Malcolm Jenkins and Devin McCourty, have noted that Reid is being blackballed. — Stephen A. Crockett Jr., The Root, "NFL Safety Eric Reid Met With the Cincinnati Bengals and Everything Was Going Great Until They Got to the Protests," 11 Apr. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Supporters of the proposed law say letting landlords blackball people who qualify for federal vouchers is partly responsible for San Diego’s stark racial segregation, with minorities dominating southern areas and whites dominant in northern areas. — David Garrick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Proposed San Diego law would prohibit landlord bias against people with federal housing vouchers," 2 July 2018 Pay college players, blackball Colin Kaepernick, baseball is too slow. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Cincinnati sports are as blah as the weather," 24 Apr. 2018 Even with Kaepernick grayballed (blackball-lite?), the trickle of protesters became a torrent, thanks to the president. — Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, "Forgettable anniversary for Colin Kaepernick," 3 Mar. 2018 There is a reason why fashionable members clubs admit freelance graphic designers who live hand to mouth and blackball superstar bankers. — Janan Ganesh, Town & Country, "The Bonfire of the Vanities," 8 Dec. 2017 But the idea that this situation is anything but a blackball is ridiculous. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Bengals vs. Bills crucial for team, maybe Marvin Lewis," 5 Oct. 2017 When there are too many swimmers for safe surfing, the blackball flag serves as a warning. — Julia Herbst, Los Angeles Magazine, "5 Things You Didn’t Know about L.A.’s Iconic Lifeguard Towers," 13 July 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blackball.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for blackball
blackball
verb
English Language Learners Definition of blackball
: to prevent (someone) from joining a group, club, etc., by voting against him or her
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