Meaning & use
blackball
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To vote against someone joining a group, or to exclude them from it.
Grammar: Takes an object: 'blackball a candidate'. Often used in passive: 'He was blackballed by the committee.'
Patterns
- blackball someone
- blackball a candidate
- be blackballed from something
The club blackballed him because they didn't like his attitude.
She was blackballed from the organization after the scandal.
Members can blackball any new applicant they disapprove of.
verbtransitive
To reject or exclude someone from a group by general agreement, often unfairly.
Grammar: Similar to the first sense but emphasizes social exclusion rather than a formal vote.
Patterns
- blackball someone from something
- blackball someone's application
The other players effectively blackballed him from future games.
She felt blackballed by her colleagues after she reported the problem.
Word forms
| third person singular | blackballs |
|---|---|
| past tense | blackballed |
| past participle | blackballed |
| -ing form | blackballing |
Common combinations
- blackball a candidate
- The committee decided to blackball the candidate for membership.
- be blackballed from a club
- He was blackballed from the club after the vote.
- blackball someone's application
- They blackballed his application without giving a reason.
- threaten to blackball
- She threatened to blackball anyone who disagreed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- exclude
- A general word meaning to keep someone out; 'blackball' specifically suggests a vote or group decision.
- ostracize
- Means to deliberately avoid or exclude someone socially, often by a whole community, but it doesn't involve a formal vote.
- reject
- Means to refuse to accept someone or something; 'blackball' is more specific to group membership.
Opposites
Word family
- blackballing noun
- The act of voting against someone or excluding them.
Commonly confused: blackball or blacklist?
blackball vs blacklist
Blacklist means to put someone on a list of people to be avoided or punished, often by an organization. Blackball is more about voting to keep someone out of a group.
Practice
What does it mean to 'blackball' someone?
Choose one answer.
To blackball someone is to vote against their membership or exclude them. The other options are the opposite or literal misinterpretations.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blackball”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.