poll

The word “poll” means a survey that asks people questions to gauge public opinion. In plain terms, asking a group of people for their opinion or vote, and the resulting count.

“Poll” is pronounced pohl (/poʊl/ in IPA).

Here is “poll” used in a sentence: “The latest poll shows the two candidates neck and neck.”

Depending on how it is used, “poll” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “poll” comes from Middle English. From Middle English polle, meaning "head" or "scalp" — voting by "head count" gave the word its modern sense of counting opinions.

“Poll” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Poll” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a survey that asks people questions to gauge public opinion.

A poll is a survey that asks people questions to gauge public opinion, usually short and focused on a single issue such as who they will vote for. A survey is often broader, gathering data on many topics or behaviors. In short, a poll is a type of survey aimed specifically at measuring opinion.

A vote is the formal act of choosing in an election or decision, while a poll can mean either an opinion survey or the formal process and place of voting. "The polls" often refers to the physical location where voting happens. So a poll can measure opinion before any real vote, or it can be the vote itself.

"Poll" and "pole" are homophones that sound alike but differ in meaning. A "poll" is an opinion survey or a formal vote, while a "pole" is a long rounded rod or one of the two ends of the Earth's axis. They are not interchangeable despite the identical pronunciation.

"Go to the polls" means to cast votes in an election, using "poll" in its sense of the place where voting happens. It describes voters formally participating in an election rather than answering an opinion survey. The plural "polls" here points to polling stations.