| straw poll or chiefly (US), (Canadian), (NZ) straw vote | |
| —n | |
| an unofficial poll or vote taken to determine the opinion of a group or the public on some issue | |
| straw vote or chiefly (US), (Canadian), (NZ) straw vote | |
| —n | |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| straw poll or chiefly (US), (Canadian), (NZ) straw vote | |
| —n | |
| an unofficial poll or vote taken to determine the opinion of a group or the public on some issue | |
| straw vote or chiefly (US), (Canadian), (NZ) straw vote | |
| —n | |
| Main Entry: | straw poll |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | an unofficial accounting taken of opinion on an issue or candidate; also called straw vote |
| Etymology: | from straw 'not having real authority' or 'insignificant thing' |
Originally, a small, informal opinion survey. Today, a straw poll is generally a large-scale, scientifically determined public opinion survey based on a random sample of the population. Straw polls are commonly used to test public opinion of candidates running for office.