Definition

Verb: 1. To defeat or reject by voting: To cast votes against a proposal, motion, or candidate, resulting in its failure or rejection. 2. To prevent from passing or succeeding: To use a formal voting process to stop a measure from being approved or a person from being selected.

Usage

The verb "vote down" is used to describe the collective action of a group formally rejecting something through a vote. It is a transitive verb, requiring a direct object (what is being rejected).

Examples

• The committee voted down the proposed budget changes. (The committee rejected the proposed changes through a vote.)
• Shareholders voted down the merger plan. (Shareholders defeated the plan in a vote.)
• The amendment was voted down by a narrow margin. (The amendment was rejected by a small difference in votes.)

Advanced Usage

• "to vote something down": This is the standard construction, where the object (the proposal, motion, etc.) comes between "vote" and "down."
  • The council voted the new zoning law down.
• Passive Voice: Often used to focus on the thing that was rejected.
  • The motion was voted down unanimously.

Variants and Related Words

• Vote (verb/noun): The general act of making a choice in an election or meeting.
• Downvote (verb, especially in digital contexts): To click a button to indicate disapproval or to lower a post's visibility, as on social media or forums. (Note: This is a related but distinct modern compound verb.)

Synonyms

• Defeat (in a vote)
• Reject (through voting)
• Turn down (through a formal process)
• Kill (a motion or bill)

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Vote through: The opposite action; to approve something by voting.
  • Parliament voted the bill through.
• Vote out: To remove someone from a position by voting.
  • The incumbent was voted out of office.

Related Idioms

• Turn thumbs down on: To reject or disapprove of something. This idiom is a close synonym for "vote down" in a figurative sense.
  • The board turned thumbs down on the expansion project.

Verb

1. vote against
   • The faculty turned thumbs down on the candidate for the Dean position
2. thwart the passage of
   • kill a motion
   • he shot down the student's proposal