blackball 1 of 2

verb

ˈblak-ˌbȯl How to pronounce blackball (audio)
Definition of blackballnext
as in to dismiss
to reject by or as if by a vote he was disappointed to learn that he had been blackballed by the fraternity

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

blackball

2 of 2

noun

1
as in veto

Related Words

Dissimilar Words
2
as in banishment

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blackball
Verb
In an ugly break with tradition, three of Herbst’s colleagues blackballed his two appointees from serving on city boards in April 2025. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 May 2026 Even a popular New York City venue allegedly uses it to blackball people its millionaire owner considers adversaries. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
Even a popular New York City venue allegedly uses it to blackball people its millionaire owner considers adversaries. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026 For more than 20 years, apologists for Israel have sought to shame, blackball, and fire professors who criticize Israeli policy. — David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for blackball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackball
  1. dismiss
  2. veto
  3. banishment
  4. kill
  5. con
  6. ostracism
  7. refuse
  8. refusal
Verb
  • Tinubu was not criminally charged, and the case was dismissed with prejudice after the money was forfeited.
    — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • After a Washtenaw County Court judge dismissed the suit, Shriver refiled the FOIA case in Michigan’s Court of Claims last month.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismiss
Noun
  • The proposal out of Paris and Berlin would erect safeguards against those vetoes so the Commission could act faster.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • If that were to happen, experts predict that Hinojosa would use her veto power to stall much of the state legislature’s conservative agenda.
    — Chantelle Lee, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of veto
Noun
  • In a memo later Monday morning, the White House TV pool had been suspended given CNN’s banishment.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Lucas and her attorneys with the Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian legal organization, assert that her ownership of the property shields her from banishment.
    — Savannah Peters, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of banishment
Verb
  • On the politics, his statement summons a legacy-killing disaster by wagering that nothing will go wrong, when something likely will go wrong during his presidency.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, was founded in 1980 by a mother whose 13-year-old daughter was killed by an intoxicated driver.
    — Kent Sepkowitz, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of kill
Noun
  • But there are also cons to buying a condo including sky-high HOA and parking fees, and emergency assessments, which could cost thousands of dollars.
    — Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Vicki and Tamra are meeting up to get their Prenuvo scans, and no, this is definitely not spon-con.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of con
Noun
  • Indeed, any ambitious scientist had to be in the good graces of these Big Players or risk financial ostracism and effective banishment from the halls of Big Science.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 29 July 2026
  • Expect the backlash, posing risks of fandom ostracism for any significant animator seemingly endorsing AI, to play out at late June’s Annecy Festival.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 1 June 2026
Definition of ostracism
Verb
  • The court may, in fact, be on the verge of requiring taxpayers to fund religious schools that refuse to admit LGBTQ students and parents.
    — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The snack company refused and asked the band to stop throwing Cheez-Its from the stage.
    — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of refuse
Noun
  • There are many legitimate reasons to bash Becerra, from his refusal to participate in more debates to his paltry number of public rallies to a platform that sounds like more of what created California’s current woes.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Plus, Swifties saw Swift and Alwyn’s refusal to make joint public appearances as a red flag.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of refusal

Browse Nearby Words

black-a-vised
blackball
blackballed
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Cite this Entry

“Blackball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackball. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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