ref ‧ e ‧ ren ‧ dum /ˌrefəˈrendəm/ BrE AmE noun ( plural referenda /-də/ or referendums ) [uncountable and countable]
[ Date: 1800-1900 ; Language: Modern Latin ; Origin: Latin referre ; ⇨ ↑ refer ]
when people vote in order to make a decision about a particular subject, rather than voting for a person
referendum on
a referendum on independence
The city council agreed to hold a referendum on the issue in November.
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THESAURUS
▪ election an occasion when people choose a government or leader by voting:
the American presidential election
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South Africa held its first multi-racial elections in 1994.
▪ ballot /ˈbælət/ an occasion when the members of an organization vote by marking what they want on a piece of paper, especially to make sure that it is secret:
The result of the ballot showed that nurses were not in favour of a strike.
▪ referendum /ˌrefəˈrendəm/ an occasion when everyone in a country votes on an important political subject:
In the Danish referendum, the people voted ‘no’ to joining the European single currency.
▪ the polls the process of voting in a political election – used especially in news reports:
4,500,000 voters went to the polls in eight provinces to elect six governors.
▪ show of hands an act of voting informally for something by the people in a group raising their hands:
May I have a show of hands from all those in favour of the proposal?