US /pɔl/ UK /pəʊl/
Homophones
verb noun Freq #12836

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    A survey of people's opinions or voting intentions.

    A recent poll showed strong support for the new policy.

  2. 2
    noun

    (usually plural) The place where people vote, or the voting itself.

    The polls close at eight o'clock tonight.

  3. 3
    verb

    To ask people for their opinions in a survey.

    Researchers polled a thousand voters before the election.

  4. 4
    verb

    To receive a particular number of votes.

    He polled a hundred votes more than his opponent.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a survey of people's... survey
Word family
Forms polledpollingpolls
Derived forms blackpollbypolldodipoleminipolloutpolloverpollpoleaxepoll-taxpollablepollagepollarchypollbook
Related forms pollardpolliwogtadpole

Etymology

From Middle English pol, polle ("scalp, pate"), from or cognate with Middle Dutch pol, pōle, polle (“top, summit; head”), from Proto-West Germanic *poll, from Proto-Germanic *pullaz (“round object, head, top”), from Proto-Indo-European *bolno-, *bōwl- (“orb, round object, bubble”), from Proto-Indo-European *bew- (“to blow, swell”). Akin to Scots pow (“head, crown, scalp, skull”), Saterland Frisian pol (“round, full, brimming”, adjective), German Low German Polle, Poll (“round object, ball”), German Low German Poller (“head, tree-top, bulb”), Danish puld (“crown of a hat”), Swedish dialectal pu…

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