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referendum

[ref-uh-ren-duhm] / ˌrɛf əˈrɛn dəm /
NOUN
popular vote on matter
Synonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Burnham, the former Mayor of Manchester, has said he wants to devolve more power to local areas around the UK, while the first minister has called for a second Scottish independence referendum by 2031.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

This effectively turns a Monte dei Paschi shareholder vote due to take place later this month into a referendum on the competing proposals, Pratas says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

To qualify a referendum for the ballot, petitioners must collect a number of signatures equal to 10% of the votes cast in the last mayoral election.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

A poll by Survation in June found that 55 percent of voters would opt to rejoin if a referendum was held again.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Of about 612,000 women who were eligible to vote in the referendum, only about 7 percent registered and only about 4 percent voted.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

State referenda can be difficult to poll, but surveys say Maine on Tuesday might have a couple of squeakers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025

Berlin, Hamburg and the Ruhr region are also developing bids, with referenda to be held in 2026.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025

Among the hundreds of referenda passed across the country in the midterm elections, voters in four states approved provisions making slavery and involuntary servitude unconstitutional.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 30, 2022

Following much political wrangling, in 1977 separate Bills were introduced for Wales and Scotland, paving the way for devolution referenda.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2022

These two referenda virtually settled the question in New York, though for a time a compromise was adopted.

From The History of Education; educational practice and progress considered as a phase of the development and spread of western civilization by Ellwood Patterson Cubberley

McOsker said the change makes the number of signatures needed for referendums and voter initiatives consistent in the city charter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

According to the Washington Policy Center, the Washington Legislature Bill Drafting Guide says that a “necessity clause” or “emergency clause” protects legislation against voter referendums.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026

Speaking of referendums, how about one to eliminate the State of the Union?

From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2026

I think that deliberation, whether spread broadly in the schools or spread broadly before national elections, before referendums, before initiatives, could become part of everyday life.

From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2025

On the ballot in November 1867, the men in Kansas faced two referendums, one that deleted the word “white” from the description of voters and a second that deleted the word “male.”

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling


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