an inquiry into public opinion conducted by interviewing a random sample of people
"The news team launched a poll to gauge how voters feel about the upcoming election."
the part of the head between the ears
"The dog shook its poll to get the water off its fur after swimming across the lake."
a tame parrot
"The new poll perched on my shoulder while I tried to read the menu."
the counting of votes (as in an election)
"The final results of the town council poll will be announced at noon tomorrow."
A survey of people, usually statistically analyzed to gauge wider public opinion.
"The senior class president noted that while many students ran for office, the polls were simply there to collect their degrees without seeking any leadership roles."
A pet parrot.
One who does not try for honors at university, but is content to take a degree merely; a passman.
In plain English: A poll is a quick survey where people vote on an opinion or choice.
"The election poll showed that most voters prefer the current mayor."
Usage: Do not use "poll" to refer to a university student who avoids honors; that archaic meaning is obsolete in modern English. Today, the word exclusively refers to an election or a survey used to gather public opinion.
vote in an election at a polling station
"She decided to wait until after work so she could head down to the local community center to cast her ballot for mayor."
get the votes of
"The campaign team decided to poll voters about their preferred candidate before announcing the final policy positions."
To take, record the votes of (an electorate).
"The campaign team will poll voters across all districts next Tuesday to gauge public support for the new policy."
In plain English: To poll someone means to ask them for their opinion on something.
"The newspaper decided to poll voters about their preferred candidate for the upcoming election."
Usage: Use "poll" when referring to the act of collecting or counting votes from voters in an election or survey. Do not use it to describe receiving a low score on a test or exam, which requires a different verb entirely.
Bred without horns, and thus hornless.
"The dairy farm switched to breeding polled cattle because removing horns manually was too dangerous for both workers and animals."
In plain English: Poll describes something that is open for everyone to vote on.
"We need to check if our opinion poll shows us as leading in the election."
Usage: Do not use "poll" as an adjective to mean hornless; that archaic term is almost never used in modern English. Instead, use the common adjective "polling" only when referring to a group of people voting or being surveyed.
A diminutive of the female given name Mary.
"The genealogist traced his family tree back to a man named Poll, who was actually known as John in earlier records."
A surname, from given names.
The word "poll" comes from the Middle English term for a scalp or head. It ultimately traces back to ancient roots meaning a round object or something that swells.