Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1600-1700
Origin: poll 'head' (13-19 centuries), from Middle Low German; from the idea of counting heads

poll

1 noun
     
Related topics: Voting
poll1 W3
1 [countable] the process of finding out what people think about something by asking many people the same question, or the record of the result [= opinion poll, survey]:
A recent poll found that 80% of Californians support the governor.
Polls indicate that education is the top issue with voters.
Labour is ahead in the polls.
The latest public opinion poll showed that 25% of us consider ourselves superstitious.
conduct/carry out/do a poll
a poll conducted by USA Today
poll on
a poll on eating habits
poll of
a poll of 1000 people
2

go to the polls

to vote in an election:
10 million voters went to the polls.
3 [singular]PPV British English the process of voting in an election, or the number of votes recorded:
Labour won the election with 40% of the poll.
The result of the poll won't be known until around midnight.
4

the polls

the place where you can go to vote in an election:
The polls will close in an hour.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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