Meaning & use

referendum

noun·Academic

A vote in which citizens decide directly on a specific political or legal question.

See it in a sentence

The country held a referendum to decide whether to join the trade agreement.

Voters rejected the referendum that would have raised local property taxes.

A note on using this word

A referendum lets the public vote directly on an issue, unlike a general election, which chooses representatives.

Words with a similar meaning

plebisciteballot

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

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