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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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2
as in banishment
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of blackball
Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 4 May 2023
Photos of Jay-Z hamming it up with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who many see as the face of Kaepernick’s blackball, were off-putting, to put it politely.
—Jonathan Jones, SI.com, 21 Aug. 2019
James Sanders, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
The resolution of the cases culminates a lengthy personal and legal odyssey for the first student to make the accusations, Alex Harrison, who was subsequently blackballed by the insular sporting community there.
—David W. Chen, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for blackball
Verb
Maybe there’s an alternate universe where musicians are currently banding together against AI, opting to blackball anyone complicit in its rapid ascension from a viral sideshow into a thorn in the industry’s side.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 4 May 2023
Photos of Jay-Z hamming it up with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who many see as the face of Kaepernick’s blackball, were off-putting, to put it politely.
—Jonathan Jones, SI.com, 21 Aug. 2019
Noun
Since that time, the free agent has been trying to get back on the field as a player, though it’s been widely said that he’s been blackballed.
—James Sanders, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
The resolution of the cases culminates a lengthy personal and legal odyssey for the first student to make the accusations, Alex Harrison, who was subsequently blackballed by the insular sporting community there.
—David W. Chen, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for blackball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackball
Verb
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In a series of tweets, Charli XCX dismissed the controversy and defended her creative choices.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
30 June 2025
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The decision dismissed most claims in the lawsuit filed by authors who alleged that their books were used, without permission, to train Anthropic’s Claude AI models.—
Tor Constantino,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Noun
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His veto of the strikers bill was expected and came with a consistent and clearly stated rationale.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
26 June 2025
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The critics hang their hat on the War Powers Resolution (WPR), a law passed by Congress in 1973 over President Richard Nixon’s veto.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Gaza’s Health Ministry on Sunday said that another 88 people have been killed by Israeli fire over the past 24 hours, raising the war’s toll among Palestinians to 56,500.—
Tia Goldenberg,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2025
-
One Cambodian soldier was killed in a relatively small, contested area.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 June 2025
Noun
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Here's how Xfinity's plans, prices and offerings stack up against AT&T's offerings, and the pros and cons of each provider.—
Kara McGinley,
USA Today,
25 June 2025
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Pros & cons Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests.—
Ryley Amond,
CNBC,
24 June 2025
Noun
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The divide between the sexes seems to be widening, with many individuals reluctant to find themselves in the gray area in between, where ambiguity could lead to criticism or social ostracism.—
Jerry Colonna,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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The resulting one-sided discourse means that views that don’t align with official propaganda often draw harassment and ostracism.—
Stephanie Yang,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
Verb
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The film follows the young singer Seti, who refuses to accept the fact that women in Iran are not allowed to perform in public.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
25 June 2025
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Ragusa alleged in her suit that the city discriminated against her, as well as other female and minority candidates, by refusing to interview them for the job back when it was first advertised.—
Mike Hendricks,
Kansas City Star,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Each witness stated Cassie did not want the police involved, with security corroborating Cassie's refusal to call law enforcement officials.—
Lauryn Overhultz , Tracy Wright , Kirill Clark,
FOXNews.com,
24 June 2025
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The following guide is the definitive travel companion for pop culture lovers, adventurers, and anyone who’s ever related to Victoria Ratliff’s (Parker Posey) refusal to live an uncomfortable life.—
Ashlee Marie Preston,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Noun
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Both the Associated Press and NBC News reported the dismissals on June 27, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter and a letter signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi to one of the attorneys.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
29 June 2025
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The recent dismissal of Carla Hayden, the first woman and first African American to serve as Librarian of Congress, signals a troubling disregard for the importance and neutrality of libraries.—
Linda Johnson,
New York Daily News,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blackball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackball. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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