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Glite Dictionary
🚫 To exclude 🚫 An exclusion vote
blackball

blackball

1 8.2
An act of voting against someone to stop them joining or staying in a group, often by a secret vote
  • noun
  • /ˈblækˌbɔl/
translation icon : veto
  • Elsewhere, emails and overt boycotts of some journals document unassailably that attempts have been made to "blackball" some authors and/or publications.

Examples

  • See also blackmail, blackball, blackguard. # MALCOLM #

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Also, thanks and congrats to Blackball; hopefully, the new baby will face a bright future in a prosperous America.

    Blog text (12)

  • I tell you, every new citizen takes up land here... the big fellas blackball him.

    Heaven's Gate (1980)

  • - Blackball.

    Bamboozled (2000)

  • Blackball.

    Malcolm X (1992)

  • Blackballs.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • But when it came to Sean Pamphilon, who was set to release the Greg Williams audiotape, Brees was leading the charge to get the league to blackball and discredit him.

    Blog text (5)

  • Because East European states desperately want to be admitted to Europe's "club" and know that erratic politics or conflict with their neighbors will earn them blackballs, the European Community provides some deterrent to conflict simply by existing.

    Academic text (1991)

  • BLACKLISTED. BLACKBALL.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • During the meeting, a member proposed to issue a blackball against the candidate, effectively excluding him from the organization.

Synonyms

blacklisting
vsblackball
2 4.9

Putting someone or a group on a list so others avoid them and refuse service

is a secret group vote that excludes someone by negative ballots

Antonyms

acceptance
104 2.7

Being approved or welcomed by other people

inclusion
65 3.7

Being part of a group, activity, or process

Surface Forms

blackball singular
blackballs plural

Morphology

blackball = black + ball (semi-transparent) = black + ball

The compound components 'black' and 'ball' are literal, but the specialized sense 'a negative vote used to exclude someone' depends on knowledge of the traditional practice of voting with black and white balls.

Etymology

Blackball was originally the dark voting ball used in private club votes, where a black ball meant 'no' and blocked a person while a light ball meant 'yes'. Today a blackball is an act or vote that excludes someone from a group.